Chess prodigy Oshini ranked No.1 among U-13 female players

Sri Lanka’s rising prodigy WIM Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana has reached yet another historic milestone, becoming the World No. 1 women’s player in the Under-13 category.

She also holds the 42nd position in the World Junior Girls’ ranking, marking the first time a Sri Lankan female player has entered the top 50 of this prestigious global list. With an impressive FIDE rating of 2272, she is currently the highest-rated junior female player in the world and the first Sri Lankan girl to surpass this remarkable rating threshold.

Oshini’s rapid rise in the international chess arena has been truly exceptional. Since 2021, she has consistently exhibited outstanding skill, discipline, and maturity, securing numerous victories—many of them groundbreaking achievements for Sri Lanka. Among her most notable accomplishments are:

World Cadet Chess Champion – Gold in U12 Girls (Sri Lanka’s first and only medal in this category) Asian Junior Championship – 2nd place (Girls) Western Asian Junior Championship – Gold in 2024 and Silver in 2023 (Girls) Asian Youth Championship – Gold in 2022 and Silver in 2023.

These victories represent only a small part of her extraordinary journey. In 2023, she claimed the U12 World Cadet Championship, a defining achievement that firmly placed Sri Lanka on the global chess map. At just 12 years and 2 months, she became the youngest Women’s National Chess Champion in the country’s history. Further cementing her legacy, Oshini is officially recognized as the youngest Woman International Master (WIM) in the world, as confirmed by the FIDE rankings released recently.

Her exceptional talent has been celebrated not only internationally but also within her school community. She received the Best Sports Person Award at Wycherley International College Colombo for three consecutive years—2023, 2024 and 2025—a testament to her sustained excellence and leadership in sport

Source: https://dailynews.lk/