Devindya Oshini becomes first Sri Lankan to reach No. 1 in World Chess Rankings
– Sri Lanka’s rising chess star, W.I.M. Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana, has made history by climbing to World No. 1 in the Under-13 Girls’ Chess Rankings, becoming the first Sri Lankan player to reach the top spot in any global age category.
Oshini began her chess journey at Ferguson Girls’ High School, Ratnapura, before moving to Wycherley International School, Colombo 07 to further develop her talent. She currently trains under veteran coach Akila Kavinda.
In addition to her top ranking in the Under-13 category, Oshini has also broken new ground by reaching 42nd place in the World Junior Girls’ Rankings, the first time a Sri Lankan female player has entered the global top 50. With a peak FIDE rating of 2272, she is now the highest-rated junior female player in the world.
Her historic rise follows years of consistent international success. In June 2024, she became the youngest Sri Lankan to earn the Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title after surpassing the required 1900 ELO rating.Oshini’s international breakthrough began in 2021 when, at just nine years old, she won the Girls’ Under-10 title at the FIDE Youth Chess World Cup, marking Sri Lanka’s first-ever world title under FIDE. She continued her winning streak with victories at the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2022 in Bali and the FIDE World Cadets Chess Championship 2023, where she clinched the Under-12 Girls’ title with an unbeaten score of 9.5/11—Sri Lanka’s only medal in this event.
She later became the youngest-ever National Women’s Chess Champion in 2024, asserting her dominance on the domestic stage. Most recently, she secured a bronze medal at the 2025 FIDE Under-12 World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.