Daily Times

CFP (Chess Federation of Pakistan) is pleased to acknowledge that 10-year-old Ayat Asmi’s bronze medal in under-12 category of world school championship held in Aktau, Kazakhstan, which featured more than 400 players from 53 countries, continues to receive praise from across the country.

On 14 August 2023 – Pakistan’s 77th Independence Day – Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman presented her with a Certificate of Recognition at a ceremony to honour the nation’s heroes at Governor House, Lahore. Earlier on 13th August minister sports Punjab attended ‘Rising Stars’ event where Ayat Asmi and West Asian Youth Championship Maldives bronze medalist Isam Bashir were praised for earning medals for Pakistan.

CFP is confident that Ayat’s and Isam’s remarkable performance in the championships will ignite enthusiasm for chess at the school level, underscoring the Federation’s long-term strategy of producing masters with international experience from an early age.

CFP is very proud and positive changes have already started registering in record books after decades of stagnation of professional chess in Pakistan. CFP’s core team and Pakistan’s leading, most experienced players/professional coaches deserve appreciation for the sincerity of their efforts that have started to result in such milestones.

CFP is firm in its belief that this is just the beginning of the turnaround story of Pakistani chess. With a motivated team, the Federation is committed to exposing as many players, especially at the junior level, to international competition as possible to raise their standards and enhance their experience.

We are hopeful that Pakistan will produce more IMs (International Masters) and also GMs (Grandmasters) soon. It is important to note that over the last year Pakistan has sent teams to 12 international tournaments, while a 13th tour is under preparation. That makes it approximately one international tournament every month. Previously, the country was able to send teams to one or two international tournaments every 2-3 years.

CFP is focused on establishing and improving this trajectory. It cannot be stressed enough that repeated international experience, especially at young ages, is essential to groom our chess players and catch up with the rest of the world. The successes of Ayat and Ismal are proof already that we are moving in the right direction. CFP is particularly grateful to all sports bodies and especially the governor’s office for appreciating the performance of Pakistan’s young chess players.