Photograph by : Mr. Ruwan Gunaratne
The Roar of Sri Lanka Chess
30 May 2020
by G C Anuruddha
Who is the best Sri Lankan player?
Today, the obvious answer is Harshana Thilakarathne. The gap he has made against the rest of the local players stands beyond the titles and awards he has achieved in 12 years of his chess career. Sri Lankan chess community believes his peak is far ahead of the present and Harshana has the potential, attitude, and background to climb to the next level.
He was generous to openly comment about his past which is an example for the blooming young players of Sri Lanka.
Progress of early childhood
(Source Internet)
Harshana came to know what checkmate is when he was 5 years old. It was from his father and then his brother. His strength in a very young age made him a school chess player of Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala.
He was ranked 5th and 16th in his first Sri Lanka Schools Individual Chess Championship organized by the Sri Lanka Schools Chess Association (SLSCA) respectively Kurunegala District and All Island in the year 2009.
He clinched the bronze medal for the Under 7 category in the Asian Schools Chess Championship, which was held in Sri Lanka in 2009. This was the first milestone in Harshana's Chess career. This achievement made him more confident and brought more attention to the game of chess.
Then the momentum was progressed. Becoming the 1st Runner-up of National Youth Chess Championship 2010 opened him for two tours to Asian Youth China (first tour 3.5 out of 9 rounds) and World Youth, Greece (3rd tour 7 out of 9 even delaying 2 rounds) to represent Sri Lanka. Harshana managed to crown the championship of the SLSCA All Island Chess Championship of the same year, which offered participation for the Asian Schools Chess Championship in Sri Lanka and the World Schools Chess Championship in Turkey, from which he became the equal 1st (4th place by tie-break). This Turkey tour was his second chess tour and it brought him huge recognition. Harshana could place 2nd Runner-up in the Asian Schools Chess Championship in 2010.
Harshana with the former President (Source Internet)
His first ELO Rating was 1595 when he was 8 years old in the year 2011. Harshana could become equal 1st (4th place by the tie-break) again in World Youth Chess Championship Brazil in 2011 Under 8 Category scoring 7.5 out of 9 rounds.
The height achievement in World Schools Chess Championship is becoming the champion of the Under 11 Category in Brazil in 2014. He secured the silver medal in the Asian Schools
Chess Championship 2015 in Singapore for Under 13 Category.
From 2011 to 2016 Harshana could defend champion title in both the National Youth Championships and Schools All Island Championships.
In 2016, Harshana became the youngest player who was selected for Sri Lanka National Chess Championship. His rating was 2000+ at the early 2016 and it was 2100+ at the end of the year.
In 2017, he could become amember of the National Team and crossed 2200+ rating. This was the 1st time he was ranked 1st in the list of active rated players of Sri Lanka. It was at age 14.
Harshana brought Silver medals from Asian Schools (Sri Lanka) and World Schools(Albania) in 2018. He was selected to represent Sri Lanka for Chess Olympiad in Georgiaby achieving the 1st runner-up place in Sri Lanka National Chess Championship 2018.
Harshana crossed 2400 hurdle (the peak 2446) renewed the record of the highest ever rated player in history of Sri LankaChess. His confidence level and potential to become an International master was shown by becoming the Champion of Commonwealth Chess Championship India Under 16 Category in 2018.
The year 2019 was remarkable for him. Not only he became the National Champion of Sri Lanka but also fulfilled his maiden IM norm at Grandmaster norm tournaments in Serbia.As usual he continued getting the medals for the motherland, Silver medals from both WesternAsian Schools Chess Championship(India) and Asian Youth(Sri Lanka) Under 18 Category. He was recognized as the most popular upcoming sportsman of the year in the Presidential Sports Awards in 2019.Harshana completed the IM norms and became The Second Sri Lankan International Master in 2020.
(Source Internet)
Chess Players are the Best
Academic achievements are common to chess players. Even Harshana climbed the ladders far beyond other players of same age he excelled in academics too. It shows his results of the GCE Ordinary Level Examination: 9A’s.
He was not just represented Sri Lanka for chess, but Mathematics and Science Olympiad too. He won the bronze medal in National Mathematics and Science Olympiad 2014 (Science) to be the youngest to represent Sri Lankan squad. He won the National gold medal in 2015 and silver medal in International Mathematics and Science Olympiad 2015 (Science) Thailand.
Every chess player has a favorite physical sport. Swimming is Harshana’s choice.
Blessings of the Failure
Harshana suffered continuous failures in 2017. Not only lost 150+ rating (2200+ to 2050~) points from the National Chess Cycle in 2017 but also lost the National Youth Chess Championship title by an unexpected lost by time to a lower rated player. Also he couldn’t show the maximum strength in international events- World Junior Chess Championship (Italy) and Asian Club Cup (Sri Lanka). At the end, the lost of the rating dropped him from the number one local active rated position too.
It was the hardest year in Harshana’s Chess life.
Harshana explained the situation as follows;
‘I must say that year 2017 was full of disasters in the chess career which I learned to use my emotions as a motivation. When coming continuous failures many told to leave chess for a short period, may be to start doing Olympiad exams again. But me, my family and my coaches started looking for the cause to the failures and GM Komarov showed me what was lacking in my chess (practical decision making), but was not possible to correct it at once. I studied a lot about secrets in practical chess with the advices of Komarov sir and continuous hard working made gradual improvement of the strength. But it didn’t give quick results from the tournament play. But I kept improving myself with a great patience.'
In 2018 Harshana got the results, from the way he reacted to his failures. 2018 Commonwealth Chess Championship title, World Schools Chess championship Silver medal and crossing 2400+ ELO Rating to achieveSri Lanka’s highest ever rated player position. Everything is due to the way He reacted to the failure in 2017.
(source Internet)
Timely Knowledge Tune-up
Mr.Nuwan Liyanage was the first coach of Harshana came across his chess career. He was fortunate to have a coach like him. When Harshana worked with him he got developed exponentially his aggressive attacking chess skills. In some days Mr.Liyanage took him to his home and they worked for hours continuously.
Mr.Lasantha Chandrarathne was his next coach. In addition to learning the technical things particularly opening structures and strategical ideas from Mr. Chandrarathne, Harshana grabbed the attitudes such as commitment to the work from the behavior of the coach, when working with him.
Harshana met first time Mr. Rajendra Kalugampitiya at The Greece Chess Tour. They attend the tournament after 2 rounds. Harshana scored 7 from played 9 rounds. It was the highest score at that time Sri Lankan player scored in a World YouthChess Championship. While Harshana was working with Mr.Kalugampitiya, He could grab vast amount of knowledge including the psychological facts related to chess.
Mr.Kalugampitiya introduced him to Mr.Romesh Weerawardane. Harshana worked with him for years and the amazing knowledge in chess openings of Mr. Weerawardane were benefitted Harshana very much. Harshana could show the good results in this period. Most importantly Mr.Weerawardane guided and directed him to self learning process to improve by himself, to make correct decisions in the tournaments even without the coach…etc.
In 2017 Chess Federation of Sri Lanka provided Grandmaster coaching by one of the very best coaches in the world- Grandmaster Dimitry Komarov. Harshana could work with him around one year. Harshana didn’t miss a single lessonof GM and travelled Colombo once a week. Grandmastertold him that he has the potential to become an International Master. But this was in 2017 when he was facing the drop of his progress. Grandmaster worked with him a lot, helped a lot, patiently showed his weaknesses. Within a year he brought Harshana to the top, not only inSri Lanka chess. Even after ending his contract still GM Komarov guides him, when necessary.
(Source Internet)
Other than the above list of coaches, Mr.G C Anuruddha, Mr.Rupassara, Mr.Niranga Kandearachchi and many other coaches helped his school to reach the today’s position.
Harshana never forget to respect the senior players. Harshana commented as follows;
“I am really proud to be a Sri Lankan chess player. Our senior players always help me, advice me, knowledge me. They don’t really care if I’m their student or not.”
Support from the School
Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala- Including Former and present principals, Teacher In Charges of Chess, Old Boys Association motivated him continuously to reach the goals. When he brings the medals they are at the airport to welcome him. They organize award ceremonies to appreciate his performances. Teachers help him to cover the school studies, big support from school friends. It makes him to do both academics and chess balanced. The school doesn’t hesitate to approve the tours and the blessings of the school is always with him
Development of CFSL
Chess Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) grew the seed of Sri Lanka chess to a massive tree. In this progress, the timely decisions CFSL made such as Grandmaster coaching has acknowledged by the medals and awards of Harshana.
Mr. Luxman Wijesuriya plays a key role in Sri Lanka Chess as an official of CFSL and FIDE (World Chess Federation) Delegate. Same as we can’t talk about Sri Lankan Chess without him, we can’t talk about Harshana’s progress without him. Harshana has gone many tours with him. It is psychologically positive for the players to see an arbiter from their own country inside the tournament hall. It was same for the Harshana and Sri Lanka was fortunate to have an International Arbiter like Mr. Wijesuriya. Mr. Wijesuriya has helped Harshana for his preparations round by round in World Youth Chess Championship, Brazil 2011 to get the achievement. Based on the medal Harshana clinched from Iran, Mr.Wijesuriya gave the opportunity him to join the training by GM Efstratios Grivas, which was only open for the National Team. The decision Mr.Wijesuriya made to bring GM Dimitry Komarov to Sri Lanka has highly impacted Harshana.
Decisions by SLSCA
SLSCA welcomes him at the airport whenever he brings the medals from Asian schools and World Schools Chess Championships. Harshana appreciates it very much. The decision they made to give him an opportunity to play Asian and World Schools Chess Championships in 2016 is significant. Unless there will be no two medals to Sri Lanka. SLSCA has also provided him air tickets for the tours in some instances.
A Committed Family
There is no Harshana Thilakarathne Chess Player unless the support of his family. The Sri Lankan chess society knows very well his mother. From Harshana’s first tour she was with him. She take care his son very well. She is a doctor by profession, therefore it is much supportive to travel with her and fortunately she doesn’t know chess. Harshana says probably this is one secret behind his victories. When Harshana won she says ‘good’, when lost she says ‘try next round’, nothing beyond that. She is worrying about the son’s food, highly committed and waiting hours outside the tournament hall till Harshana finishes his game. Chess community who regularly join the tours knows it well.
Harshana’s father has joined only a very few tours with him. It is very rare seeming him in the tournaments due to his profession. Still Harshana has no sponsor. So his father is the giant sponsor. So far Harshana has gone around 40 tours. Harshana’s achievements reflect his father’s effort.
Harshana’s brother is a chess player with a peak rating 1900+. He is the one who complete the technical stuff of the tournament arrangements such as visa processing, arranging tickets, hotel booking, registration, also finding strong tournaments and doing the needful. He finds the materials Harshana wants. He is an exemplary brother, who serves his brother unconditionally.
Harshana was gifted with sucha wonderful family with full of love guidance and protection in success as well as in failures.
The Future
Harshana himself will write it in better way. We love chess. We love him. Congratulations and all the very best for the future!!!
Here are some of his games to enjoy.
About the Author
GlobalChess.lk Team is thankful to Mr. Chinthaka Anuruddha Galappaththi for writing an article about our Chess Hero Harshana within a short period. Anuruddha is a well known chess player who maintains his 2000+ rating in the active player's list . He is a FIDE Master, former National Champion, the winner of the most Chess Championships in Sri Lanka and a regular Sri Lanka representative for International events . In addition to that, he is a committed chess coach who produced Sri Lanka Representing Chess players.
