18 June, 2023
Suneetha Wijesuriya (right) plays chess with Russian ambassador Levan Dzhagaryam in the presence of the CEO of the Russian Centre Buddhapriya Ramanayake and the Director of the Russian House in Colombo who is also the First Secretary of the Russian Embassy Maria L. Popova. Sri Lanka Chess Federation President and Vice President of the Asian Chess Federation Lakshman Wijesuriya and distinguished invites were also present
It was a special day for the Anatoly Karpov Chess Club at the Russian Centre in Colombo 7 as the new chess club premises was declared open by Russian ambassador in Sri Lanka Levan Dzhagaryam last Friday.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Anatoly Karpov Chess Club, Russian ambassador Levan Dzhagaryam cut the ribbon on the doors of a spacious room with countless trophies and awards won under the guidance of the club’s all-time leader, the first and only chess Olympic Gold medalist and 10 times women’s National Champion in Sri Lanka, Women’s Fide Master (WFM) Suneetha Wijesuriya.
She is considered the matriarch of many chess players from grassroots level during the past 25 years that the Russian ambassador noted.