The closing ceremony of the Karachi Open Chess Tournament, organized by the Sindh Government, concluded with 70-year-old Wahid Hussain being declared a Candidate Master by the World Chess Federation in the senior category.
The two-day Karachi Open Chess Tournament, held at Frere Hall under the auspices of the Sindh Government’s Sports Department, came to a grand close. The ceremony was attended by special guests including Secretary of Sports Sindh Abdul Aleem Lashari, Director of Sports Imdad Ali Abro, Chief Engineer Muhammad Aslam Mahar, District Sports Officer Farid Ali, and other officials. Secretary of Sports Abdul Aleem Lashari distributed trophies, cash prizes, gold medals, and certificates to the winners of the Karachi Open Chess Tournament. According to the spokesperson of the Sindh Sports Department, 400 male and female players participated in three different categories of the Karachi Open Chess Tournament: Senior, Under-12, and Under-18. The first category winner received 50,000 rupees, the second 30,000 rupees, and the third 20,000 rupees along with trophies. In the Under-12 category, the first position was secured by Essa Hussain, the second by Firas Hashmi, and the third by Syeda Hafsah Jamali.
The spokesperson stated that in the Under-18 category, the first position was won by Muhammad Sarim Hassan, the second by Muhammad Anas, and the third by Muharish Shakeel, who took home the trophy and cash prize. Additionally, in the Senior category, Wahid Hussain secured the first position, Aziz Farooqui the second, and Haji Shamsuddin the third, winning trophies and cash prizes.
The spokesperson of the Sports Department mentioned that in the Under-8 category, the third position was secured by Arsh Farzan, the second by Marth Farzan, and the first by Tahriz Sarmad. In the Under-10 category, Riya Mangi won the first position, Syed Mustafa the second, and Muzammil Farooqui the third. In the Under-16 category, Shafa Maniya won the first position, Dua Maqsood the second, and Fatima Zehra the third, taking home the prizes.
The spokesperson of the Sindh Sports Department stated that in the Women’s category, the first position was secured by Zunobia Waseef, the second by Ayesha Qureshi, and the third by Shafsha. In the Under-14 category, the first position was won by Moazma Afzal, the second by Yumna Siddiqui, and the third by Hafsah Iqbal, who dominated the field.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Secretary of Sports Abdul Aleem Lashari announced that the Sindh Government will host an International Chess Championship at Frere Hall, Karachi, in the next three months, where international players will participate. The Sindh Sports Department is committed to promoting every game.
Abdul Aleem Lashari further stated that the desire of Sindh Sports Minister Sardar Muhammad Baksh Mahar was to organize chess tournaments in Karachi, similar to other sports, to promote chess as well. The chess tournament saw a large number of participants, including women, children, and adults, with chess players from the Karachi Division also actively participating.