April 28, 2008	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 21, 1429

KARACHI, April 27: In what may be best described as a prelude to the final result, Amir Karim stunned International Master Mehmood Ahmed Lodhi in round six of the 26th National Chess Championship to gain the lead by a mere ˝ point.

Both players, veterans and master strategists of the game, stood their ground till the very end.

Lodhi, playing with white, started with Queen Pawn opening while Amir countered by Knight F6 opening.

Sheer concentration and mind power prevailed with Amir eventually emerging as winner after three hours and forty five minutes.

Speaking to Dawn, Lodhi attributed his loss to a bad patch, saying: “Everyone has a bad patch and this match was my bad patch.” However he went on to say that he was confident he would get a chance to go for the title.

The 38-year old Amir, a former national junior champion and the Asian runner-up was content in his win, saying: “I was under a lot of pressure as I was up against the best player in the tournament.” Asked if he was sure of winning Amir remarked that the last three rounds would be very difficult as there were no easy matches.

In another major upset in round six IM Shahzad Mirza lost to Fauzanullah and to Mudassir Iqbal in round seven, completing losing his chances for the title.

The only female contender in the competition, Zenobia Wasif, is also out of the title race having lost in round six and one win in round seven.

The next three rounds are very crucial and will prove to be nerve racking for the top contenders especially for Mehmood Lodhi, Amir Karim, Mohammad Waqar, and Wahid Hussain all aspiring to grab the title.

Results:

Round six: Amir Karim bt IM Mahmood Lodhi, M Waqar bt Wahid Hussain, Waseem Akram drew Haseeb Ahmed, Feroze Alam bt Shakir Hussain, Imtiaz Ahmad drew Gulrez Nazir, Fauzanullah bt IM Shahzad Mirza,

Khalil-ur-Rehman Butt bt Shahzad Alam 1-0, Akhtar Hussain drew Riasat Ali, Asad Rampuri bt Asif Abbasi, Shafeeq Sr bt Fahim Anwar, Dr Haroon bt Mudassir Iqbal, Hafeez-ur-Rehaman bt Waqar Madni M Yunus bt Abdul Majid, Hafeez Bajewa bt Asif ur Rehman, M Shafiq bt Asrar Ahmed.

Round seven: Amir Karim bt Feroze Alam, IM Mahmood Lodhi bt M. Waqar, Haseeb Ahmed drew Imtiaz Ahmed, Wahid Hussain bt Waseem Akram, Khalil ur Rehman bt Asad Rampuri, Gulrez Nazir bt Fauzanullah, Shafeeq Sr drew Akhtar Hussain, M. Shahzad bt Babar Butt, Dr Haroon bt Shakir Hussain, Faraz Salim bt Hafeez Bajwa, M. Shafiq bt Hafeez ur Rehman, Riasat Ali bt M. Younus, Shahzad Ahmed bt Asif Abbasi, Mudassir Iqbal bt IM Shahzad Mirza, and Jahangir Ahmed bt Shahzad Alam.

Points table after round seven:

Amir Karim (6.5), Mahmood Lodhi (6), Wahid Hussain (5.5), Khalil-ur Rehman (5.5), Gulrez Nazir (5.5), Mohammad Waqar (5), Feroze Alam (5), Haseeb Ahmed (5), Imtiaz Ahmed (5), M. Shafiq (5), M. Shahzad, (5), Dr Haroon (5).