The DINI International Chess Championship will be held at the Mount Lavinia Hotel from the 29th of July to the 4th of August. While this is the strongest tournament to be held in Sri Lanka so far, International Masters, Grandmasters and other titled players from nine countries will be taking part in this tournament. Accordingly, over 75 of Sri Lanka’s strongest chess players will be competing with over 60 foreign players from countries such as Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Egypt, Philippines, Singapore and India. There will be more than 50 players from India alone.
The tournament is organized by the Blue and Gold Chess Club, one of the oldest affiliates of the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka. Indeed, the Chess Federation has fully supported the event since it paves the way for talented Sri Lankan players to battle strong players from overseas, improve their international ratings and push for Grandmaster and International Master titles.
DINI Communication Inc, a US-based company has generously offered a massive US Dollars 20,000 as prize money. The Chairman of the company, Mr Prashanth Wijedasa, expressed the opinion that this tournament will not only help popularize the game even further in Sri Lanka, but will serve as an excellent opportunity to promote Sri Lanka as a sports tourist destination.
