{"id":46393,"date":"2026-05-17T13:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T13:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/?p=46393"},"modified":"2026-05-17T13:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T13:48:39","slug":"commonwealth-chess-championship-2026-opens-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/commonwealth-chess-championship-2026-opens-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 opens in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 opens in Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>

More than 500 players, representing 14 countries, participate in the competition, taking place from May 17-25, 2026. The opening ceremony was attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich as well as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) is hosting the nine-day event on behalf of the Commonwealth Chess Association and FIDE. The tournament includes several categories. In addition to the Open Section, there are age group events for women and youth players, ranging from Under 8 to Under 18, in the classical format. There will also be Rapid and Blitz events held on the first three days.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Luxman Wijesuriya<\/strong>, President of CFSL, said that it was a great honour for Sri Lanka to host the event for the third time in the last ten years: \u201cObviously it is a top-level event, and hosting it positions Sri Lanka as an excellent location for important chess events.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt indicates the level of confidence that FIDE and the Commonwealth Chess Association have in CFSL\u2026 It must also be mentioned that hosting the event obviously makes for greater participation of the most talented Sri Lankans, enabling them to cross swords with the best players in their respective categories,\u201d he added.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThe Commonwealth Chess Association has been a valuable part of the international chess family since 1980, bringing together countries from across the globe, with very different chess traditions and levels of development. The hosts \u2013 Sri Lanka \u2013 have a proud and growing chess community, and here we see a strong commitment to the development of chess,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich<\/strong> said.<\/p>

Dvorkovich noted that this is a \u201cremarkable moment\u201d for chess in Asia with world-class players, major events, and strong federations growing new talent.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThis connects strongly with FIDE\u2019s wider work in promoting chess, and we will continue to work closely with national federations, public institutions, and private partners to bring more opportunities to players across Asia and across the world.\u201d<\/p>

Sunil Kumara Gamage<\/strong>, Sri Lanka\u2019s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, welcomed all the players to his country, describing the tournament as a \u201cremarkable celebration of intellect, discipline, and sportsmanship.”<\/p>

\u201cI wish to extend our welcome to Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, whose leadership resonates strongly across the world. I also take this opportunity to respectfully acknowledge Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan, a towering figure in the global chess community whose 50-year dedication to the game has inspired players across the world,\u201d Kumara Gamage added.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Bharat Singh and Luxman Wijesuriya: 50 years of chess life<\/strong><\/p>

The Commonwealth Chess Championship was also an occasion to celebrate the dedication and work of two important figures in the chess world, Bharat Singh Chauhan<\/strong> from India and Luxman Wijesuriya from Sri Lanka.<\/p>

Bharat Singh Chauhan is a prominent Indian chess administrator, organiser, and International Arbiter who helped shape chess administration in India and beyond. He was instrumental in building the chess infrastructure in Asia through tournament organisation, international federation work, and the development and execution of plans to expand chess through schools, youth events, and stronger national systems.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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He served as Secretary of the All India Chess Federation and became one of the key figures behind India\u2019s growing role in international chess. He was the Tournament Director of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022. Bharat Singh Chauhan is the Chairman of the FIDE Advisory Board, Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation, and Chairman of the Commonwealth Chess Association.<\/p>

Luxman Wijesuriya is one of the central figures in Sri Lankan chess administration. He serves as the General Secretary of the Commonwealth Chess Association and Vice President of the Asian Chess Federation. Wijesuriya is the brother of two prominent Sri Lankan chess players: Suneetha Wijesuriya, Sri Lanka\u2019s 1992 Chess Olympiad individual gold medallist, and Vineetha Wijesuriya, an eleven-time Sri Lankan women\u2019s champion.<\/p>

Through his work, Wijesuriya has helped shape the structure of organised chess in Sri Lanka for many years, strengthening the domestic tournament system, spreading knowledge of ratings and titles, and bringing official Asian events to the country on a regular basis.<\/p>

\u201cBoth Bharat Singh and Luxman Wijesuriya have played pivotal roles in the promotion of chess in Asia, laying the foundations for the continent\u2019s current success,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThe chess community around the world is grateful for their exceptional work and unwavering support over the last five decades. We owe a lot to these great people, and I am honoured to have had the privilege of learning from them and working with both of them directly,\u201d Dvorkovich added.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About the Commonwealth Chess Association:<\/strong>

The Commonwealth Chess Association (CCA) was founded in 1980 and unites the commonwealth chess federations while keeping strict neutrality in the internal affairs of the national chess federations. The CCA is concerned with supporting chess activity among the nations of the Commonwealth.<\/p>

Last year\u2019s Commonwealth Chess Championship was held in Malaysia and was won by English Grandmaster Daniel Howard Fernandez.<\/p>

Official website: https:\/\/commonwealthchess.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 opens in Sri Lanka More than 500 players, representing 14 countries, participate in the competition, taking place from May 17-25, 2026. The opening ceremony was attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich as well as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage. The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) is hosting the nine-day event on behalf of the Commonwealth Chess Association and FIDE. The tournament includes several categories. In addition to the Open Section, there are age group events for women and youth players, ranging from Under 8 to Under 18, in the classical format. There will also be Rapid and Blitz events held on the first three days. Luxman Wijesuriya, President of CFSL, said that it was a great honour for Sri Lanka to host the event for the third time in the last ten years: \u201cObviously it is a top-level event, and hosting it positions Sri Lanka as an excellent location for important chess events.\u201d \u201cIt indicates the level of confidence that FIDE and the Commonwealth Chess Association have in CFSL\u2026 It must also be mentioned that hosting the event obviously makes for greater participation of the most talented Sri Lankans, enabling them to cross swords with the best players in their respective categories,\u201d he added. \u201cThe Commonwealth Chess Association has been a valuable part of the international chess family since 1980, bringing together countries from across the globe, with very different chess traditions and levels of development. The hosts \u2013 Sri Lanka \u2013 have a proud and growing chess community, and here we see a strong commitment to the development of chess,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. Dvorkovich noted that this is a \u201cremarkable moment\u201d for chess in Asia with world-class players, major events, and strong federations growing new talent. \u201cThis connects strongly with FIDE\u2019s wider work in promoting chess, and we will continue to work closely with national federations, public institutions, and private partners to bring more opportunities to players across Asia and across the world.\u201d Sunil Kumara Gamage, Sri Lanka\u2019s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, welcomed all the players to his country, describing the tournament as a \u201cremarkable celebration of intellect, discipline, and sportsmanship.” \u201cI wish to extend our welcome to Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, whose leadership resonates strongly across the world. I also take this opportunity to respectfully acknowledge Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan, a towering figure in the global chess community whose 50-year dedication to the game has inspired players across the world,\u201d Kumara Gamage added. Bharat Singh and Luxman Wijesuriya: 50 years of chess life The Commonwealth Chess Championship was also an occasion to celebrate the dedication and work of two important figures in the chess world, Bharat Singh Chauhan from India and Luxman Wijesuriya from Sri Lanka. Bharat Singh Chauhan is a prominent Indian chess administrator, organiser, and International Arbiter who helped shape chess administration in India and beyond. He was instrumental in building the chess infrastructure in Asia through tournament organisation, international federation work, and the development and execution of plans to expand chess through schools, youth events, and stronger national systems. He served as Secretary of the All India Chess Federation and became one of the key figures behind India\u2019s growing role in international chess. He was the Tournament Director of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022. Bharat Singh Chauhan is the Chairman of the FIDE Advisory Board, Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation, and Chairman of the Commonwealth Chess Association. Luxman Wijesuriya is one of the central figures in Sri Lankan chess administration. He serves as the General Secretary of the Commonwealth Chess Association and Vice President of the Asian Chess Federation. Wijesuriya is the brother of two prominent Sri Lankan chess players: Suneetha Wijesuriya, Sri Lanka\u2019s 1992 Chess Olympiad individual gold medallist, and Vineetha Wijesuriya, an eleven-time Sri Lankan women\u2019s champion. Through his work, Wijesuriya has helped shape the structure of organised chess in Sri Lanka for many years, strengthening the domestic tournament system, spreading knowledge of ratings and titles, and bringing official Asian events to the country on a regular basis. \u201cBoth Bharat Singh and Luxman Wijesuriya have played pivotal roles in the promotion of chess in Asia, laying the foundations for the continent\u2019s current success,\u201d FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. \u201cThe chess community around the world is grateful for their exceptional work and unwavering support over the last five decades. We owe a lot to these great people, and I am honoured to have had the privilege of learning from them and working with both of them directly,\u201d Dvorkovich added. About the Commonwealth Chess Association: The Commonwealth Chess Association (CCA) was founded in 1980 and unites the commonwealth chess federations while keeping strict neutrality in the internal affairs of the national chess federations. The CCA is concerned with supporting chess activity among the nations of the Commonwealth. Last year\u2019s Commonwealth Chess Championship was held in Malaysia and was won by English Grandmaster Daniel Howard Fernandez. Official website: https:\/\/commonwealthchess.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[419,261],"regular":[],"sticky-post":[],"class_list":["post-46393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chess-news","tag-commonwealth-championship","tag-srilanka"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46393"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46405,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46393\/revisions\/46405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46393"},{"taxonomy":"regular","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regular?post=46393"},{"taxonomy":"sticky-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sticky-post?post=46393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}