KARACHI: Chess, a game that seemed to have faded into obscurity over the past decade, has experienced a remarkable revival as a substantial number of players competed in the highly anticipated Classical Sindh Championship, which concluded on Sunday.

The championship not only showcased the resurgence of the sport but also attracted an encouraging number of participants, including 90 men, 16 women and aspiring junior players.

The stakes were high, as the top 10 players from all provinces would qualify for the national championship, and stand a chance to represent Pakistan at the 2024 Olympiad to be held in Budapest.

In the men’s category, a fierce battle ensued for the coveted top 10 positions.

The two-day championship took place at a local hotel, and it witnessed the crowning of Mafaaz Khalid as the men’s champion and Zenobia Wasif as the victor in the women’s section.

Having remained unbeaten throughout the event, Mafaaz finished with an impressive aggregate of 7.5 points out of nine. National Master Aziz Ahmed Farooqi claimed the second position, trailing Mafaaz by a single point.

Aziz was followed by Awaad Mirza, the defending champion from last year’s edition, who secured a commendable 6.5 points.

Candidate Master Nadeem Sheikh, Mohammad Anwar Qureshi, Daniyal Ahsan, Mohammad Younus, Asadullah Khan, Waqar Mohammad and Alhaaj Mehmood-us-Salam, all achieved the same score of 6.5 points and secured rest of the qualifying spots, respectively.

However, the final positions in all categories at the championship are determined by tie-breaker points.

In the women’s section, the competition was equally intense. The top three spots were claimed Zenobia, Sehrish and Ghazala Begum, who are the only rated players among all the competitors.

Zenobia, with six points, emerged victorious followed by Sehrish with the same score. Ghazala (4.5) secured the third position.

The presence of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori at the event added prestige to the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the governor pledged to support the organisation of the first international chess championship, which demonstrates the growing recognition of chess in the province.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2023