KARACHI: The Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP) has prepared a comprehensive plan for the betterment and promotion of chess in the educational institutions across Pakistan.

“We will shortly be holding an inter-university, collegiate and school events in the four provinces,” MSAP director Tariq Rasheed Khan said on Monday.

He said MSAP’s basic aim was to improve the standard of chess by conducting inter-university, inter-collegiate and inter-school competitions in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakthtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He said all the provincial title winners will play in the national championship.

Tariq said these events will be conducted in collaboration with the Pakistan Chess Players Association and the Chess Federation of Pakistan. He said besides the MSAP will be holding third PCPA Ranking Chess Tournament in Lahore in November this year.

He disclosed that Pakistan’s leading International Masters, FIDE Masters and National Masters will be invited to take part. A record 13-time National Championship winner Mahmood Ahmed Lodhi will be defending his title in the event.

MSAP director said the services of Pakistan’s greatest chess players Lodhi and Shahzad Mirza will be hired for coaching the players.

“We are also targeting to bring in fore a couple of Internationals Masters and Grand Masters in the next 5-10 years,” Tariq stressed.