From June 27 to July 3, 2025, the Asian Junior Chess Championship was held at the Citrus Hotel in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka. Competing in the Open (under-20) section, fielding 93 players, including multiple IMs and FMs from across Asia, the stakes were high .
IM L M S T de Silva, born on June 8, 2006, entered the tournament as the third seed with a FIDE rating of 2390 .He finished the classical section with an impressive 7.5/9, matching the top scorer, India’s FM Sourath Biswas but narrowly missed the gold due to tiebreaks, securing the silver medal .
Final Standings – Open Section (Classical)
| Rank | Player | Score | Tiebreak Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | IM L M S T De Silva (SRI) | 7.5/9 | Silver |
| 3 | IM Kashish Manoj Jain (IND) | 7.0/9 | Bronze |
IM Susal Thewjan de Silva’s silver at the 2025 Asian Junior Championship is a significant achievement, for him and Sri Lankan chess. His journey from prodigy to rising IM symbolises hard work, national pride, and the exciting future of chess in Sri Lanka. We’re on the cusp of witnessing a Grandmaster and perhaps more emerge from this young talent.
From Prodigy to IM: De Silva’s Journey
Born June 8, 2006, De Silva earned the International Master title in 2022 .
A renowned prodigy: he became Sri Lanka’s youngest FIDE Master at age 11, after winning the 2017 Western Asian U-12 Championship .
He’s a three-time national champion (2021–2023) and represented Sri Lanka at the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai
Adding the Asian Junior silver to this impressive track record cements his status as Sri Lanka’s brightest chess talent.
Support & Recognition
The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka and Asian Chess Federation took to social media to celebrate: “IM Susal De Silva wins silver at AJCC 2025 … adding pride to the host nation” .
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| CFSL on Instagram |