The inclusion of Blind chess in the 2018 Asian Paragames held in Jakarta, Indonesia, marked a major milestone for blind chess. For the first time, chess was featured as one of the sports in the Para Games, providing an opportunity for visually impaired players to showcase their skills on a global stage. As one of the selected players from the Colombo selection meet, I was thrilled to have the chance to participate in this historic event. Along with my friend Thuwan Rushdi, who played in the visually impaired (B2) category, we represented Sri Lanka along with 34 other athletes across various sports, including 36 players and 15 officials. Despite the tough competition, our team was able to secure an impressive 14th place in the overall medal tally, winning a total of 14 medals, including 4 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze.

The journey to the 2018 Asian Paragames held in Jakarta, Indonesia, was a long and tiring one for our team from Sri Lanka. After departing on October 1st, we endured a five-hour direct flight before finally arriving at Jakarta airport. The Para games officials were there to greet us with warm welcomes and transport us to the athletic village, though we did have to wait for a few hours at the entrance for an unknown reason. All in all, it was a grueling day as we had been traveling for almost 18 hours. However, once we were allowed to enter the village around 8 pm, we were pleased to find ourselves on the 18th floor of a tall tower in comfortable apartments. My friend Thuwan and I shared an apartment, which included two rooms, a living area, pantry, and washroom, all fully air-conditioned with hot water and free Wi-Fi. A massive make-shift cafeteria was also set up to serve over 2500 athletes at a time with a wide variety of food choices, including Western, South Asian, East Asian, and more. The games hosted nearly 3000 athletes from 43 countries, making it a truly international event.

While all the athletes arrived in Indonesia on the 1st of October, the official start of the 2018 Asian Paragames was not until the 6th. This was because there were many arrangements to be made beforehand, including medical classifications, managers’ meetings, technical meetings, equipment checks, and final training sessions. With events taking place across different venues, we found ourselves commuting at least 45 minutes every morning on a highway to get to the chess venue. We had our first training session on the 6th, preparing ourselves for the days ahead.

The evening of the 6th marked the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Paragames, which was a truly grand event attended by the President of Indonesia. The ceremony was filled with numerous cultural performances and culminated in a spectacular display of colorful fireworks. It was a memorable start to what promised to be an exciting and competitive sporting event.

The 7th of October marked the start of the chess tournament at the 2018 Asian Paragames. We were scheduled to play a couple of games each day, with the tournament being held according to the Swiss system. Each player was given 60 minutes, with an additional 15 seconds added to each move. My first two games were against a Malaysian and a Philippine player, but unfortunately, I lost both. However, I managed to turn things around on the following day by winning a game against a player from Timor, and then another against a player from Vietnam on the day after. In the end, I was only able to accumulate 2 points out of 7, having won just 2 games. It’s worth noting that the gold medal for the B1 (Totally Blind) category was won by an Indonesian player, with Myanmar and another Indonesian player securing silver and bronze, respectively.

The venue where the Para games were held had exceptional facilities, and we received a warm welcome from the organizers and volunteers at each game. After the classical games, we were unexpectedly invited to play a Rapid game, which posed a challenge for me as I had never played one before. In a Rapid game, each player is only given 20 minutes to play, and while it was an exciting experience, I personally feel it is not a suitable game for visually impaired players. Finally, on the 13th, the closing ceremony was held, featuring some cultural dances and formal proceedings, bringing the 2018 Asian Para Games to a colorful end.

In summary, the 2018 Para Games in Jakarta was a remarkable experience for me as a visually impaired chess player. Although I have participated in a few open chess tournaments in Sri Lanka with sighted players, the standard of play in the Asian Para Games was quite high, with most players being rated. My interest in the game was rekindled through a chess workshop organized by the Sri Lanka Army Chess Committee, which provided me with the opportunity to improve and play in several local tournaments. I would like to express my gratitude to the President of the Army Chess Committee, Major General Kithsiri Eakanayaka, and Major General Rajitha Ampemohoti, the President of the National Paralympic Committee, for their support and assistance in enabling visually impaired chess players to participate in the Asian Para Games. I also welcome any support for improving blind chess in Sri Lanka, including the provision of accessible learning materials and tailor-made coaching for blind players. Lastly, I urge everyone to focus on our abilities rather than our disabilities, as it will not only make us happy but also inspire others. With chess now added to my list of accomplishments as a blind athlete and archer, I hope to continue pushing my boundaries and inspiring others to do the same.