KARACHI: Pakistan’s international chess star Master Mahmood Lodhi jumped to the top of the points table in the 3.2 Asian Zonal Chess Championship when he defeated Bangladesh Grand Master (GM) Reefat Bin-Sattar in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the fifth round on Wednesday.

The Gujranwala-based Lodhi is now leading the 33-player contest with 4.5 points after four wins and a draw, according to information received here.

Top two masters from this event will qualify for next year’s World Chess Championship.

Earlier Lodhi played a draw against another Bangladesh GM Enamul Hossein in the third round of the 11-round competition. Besides five GMs from Bangladesh, players from Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives are taking part in the event.—APP