Kalugampitoya’s unique Chess achievement
View(s):As a student of Vidyartha College, Kandy Rajeendra Kalugampitiya exhibited a rare talent in chess winning in almost every championship he participated in school level, national level and international level. Under Rajeendra’s captaincy Vidyartha College in 2005/6 this central province school won All Island Under 18 championship and he was adjudged Best Player in the Central Province in 2005. Lakugampitiya’s march to success was exhibited when he won the Under 16 National Championship in 2004 and emerging champion in the Under 18 category and concluded his school career as chess player winning the Under 20 All Island Chess Championship in 2007. In 2004 he made his debut at national level representing Sri Lanka at the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece and in 2006 Rajeendra took part in the Chess Olympiad in Italy.
Under his leadership Sri Lanka junior team competed in the 2006 Asian Junior in India and went on to captain the Sri Lanka University team at the World University Chess Championship held in Switzerland and China in 2010 and 13 respectively. Rajeendra’s memorable event in his career as a chess player was the 2014 World Chess Olympiad winning a Gold Medal in category D. This hill capital chess player added more feathers to his hat when he won the Athugalpura International in 2010 and 15, declared as joint winner in the Mora Kings International Chess Championship in 2009 at the Colombo International Chess festival.
He also won a Bronze medal in the Fujairah International Chess Championship in 2012. Fischer Chess Club captained by Kalugampitiya won six League Gold Medals in the past nine years and became the best player of the league scoring 6/6. This sporting personality as true son of mother Lanka is not in debt for the country as he gives what he achieved as a national player to the youngsters of Dharmaraja, Trinity and Mahamaya College as their coach and as a member of National Coaching Panel developing many international medalists.