Tuan Rushdi

This year we had our qualifies at Monaragala. We had 5 teams in our group. They were Shakthi, Super Kings, Senehasa, Rathmalana School Team and The Sri Lanka Council for the Blind. We had to travel for 8 hours to reach Monaragala, but everything was arranged nicely for our players and we had a good rest before our matches. We won our first match against the Thangalle Senehasa Team. Kalyan Kumar scored a half century, in balling me and Kalyan took 3 wickets each. Kalyan Kumar is a member of the national cricket team since 1998 so it was a great experience for me to play with him in the same team. After the first round we placed 3 rd in the group. In the quarter finals we lost to Super Kings Team. In that match Madusanka Vishvanath scored a half century, In balling he took 3 wickets, me and Kalyan took 1 wicket each. I’m satisfied with my performances in the tournament this year. 

For a long time I wanted to write something and create awareness in the SL chess community about the Visually impaired chess players of Sri Lanka. Most of us do not have the faintest idea that such 'visually handicapped' players exist in Sri Lanka. That includes most of the National players who have played against IBCA in the Olympiads. Recently I (along with Marlon Fernando) had the good fortune of assisting the preparation of three Sri Lankan players who represented Sri Lanka at IBCA Asia Pacific Chess Championship for Visually Challenged, 2017 held in India. Few simple words of encouragement would also mean a great deal for Visually handicapped players. Also please note some of them learned to play chess AFTER they became completely blind, which is something incredible. (Most of them are soldiers who fought the war and lost their precious eye sight due to explosions) The leader of our Visually handicapped Chess team Mr Tuan Rushdi Cassim has following message to our...

The Chess Board of 64 squares has the following modifications: •All the Black squares are raised about 3-4 mm above the white squares. By feeling the squares, the player is able to determine whether the square is a black or a white one. •Each of the squares on the Board has a hole in the centre so that the pieces can be fixed in these holes. •Each of the pieces has a downward projection (nail) at the base, which fits into the hole in the squares on the Board, thereby fixing the piece securely on the board. •All the Black pieces have a pin fixed on their heads helping the player distinguish between a white and a black piece. The players therefore, by feeling the raised or the lowered squares can figure out whether the piece is on a black or a white square. By feeling the shape of the piece, they can determine whether the piece is a Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen or King. The touch of the pin on the pieces helps the player from distinguishing a white piece from a b...

“Inclusive Society”, a topic which is so close to my heart. Firstly I would like to share my experience and what I know about an inclusive society. When I started my first job as a manager at a wedding decoration firm I was just an undergraduate.  At that time I didn’t know my eyesight was so poor to work in an office environment. Employees who worked under me at that time had noticed I had a poor eyesight and they have told this matter to the director of the organization. They have tested my eyesight while I was at work in different ways that I didn’t have any clue that they were testing me. One day the director told me I got a poor eyesight which is a barrier for the position I was working at that time and told me to resign from the job. It was a shock for me, I can still remember the day I left that job. I stood in the bus stop wondering what to do or where to go for a long time. After that I was afraid to apply for any jobs and I was at home for 2 years trying different trea...