"Despite the documented evidence of chess historian H.J.R. Murray, I have always thought that chess was invented by a goddess." George Koltanowski, from Women in Chess, Players of the Modern Game
Pages
▼
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Sri Lankan Female Chess Masters
From The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka f/k/a Ceylon)
January 3, 2009
Pramodaya first woman Master
Pramodaya Senanayake of Musaeus College Colombo was the first Sri Lankan woman FIDE Master after competing in the 37th Chess Olympiad held in May-June 2006 in Italy. She scored six out of nine points to achieve this feat.
She was attending school in that year and had also won a bronze medal at the Asian Schools Chess Festival held in Singapore in December 2005.
Thereafter, Nirmala from Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo too had achieved the title of woman FIDE Master a few years later.
Besides these two women, the latest girl to achieve this feat is Supeshala Thilakawardane also of Musaeus College. She achieved this title when participating in the Chess Olympiad held in Germany in November last year.
It was inadvertently published by Daily Mirror that Thilakawardane was the first woman FIDE Master in Sri Lanka. We regret this error as credit must go to Pramodaya Senanayake who was also a student of Musaeus College. This fact was brought to the notice of Daily Mirror by G.S. Dissanayake who was the secretary of the Chess Federation for ten years since being elected in 1975 for the first time. R. Bodhinagoda was the president at that time. (TBR)
Missing from your recommended chess boosk is one of the best chess novels ever written: "Queen's Gambit" by Walter Tevis. The book, written by the author of "The Hustler" (made into a movie w Paul Newman)and also the science fiction classic, "The Man Who Fell to Earth," is a stand-up-and-cheer "Rocky" story about a female chess prodigy. It is an inspiring book for everyone, but espcially for women. Check it out.
ReplyDeletee.s.
ernie