Mahmood Lodhi becomes Pakistan�s first chess GM

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Mahmood Lodhi, acclaimed as the greatest exponent of chess in the country, duly achieved the distinction of becoming the first-ever Grand Master as he won the 8th Asian Seniors Chess Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, recently.

�Achieving the GM title was my long team dream and I could not sleep for two nights after this accomplishment for Pakistan�� he told media at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi, on his return from New Zealand. 

Due to a combination of factors, the newly crowned Grand Master didn�t get a befitting reception at the airport as not a single representative of the Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP), the Sindh Chess Association (SCA) and the Karachi Chess Association (KCA) was there to welcome him. 

His buddy and International Master, Shahzad Mirza, greeted him alongwith an official of the Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP). 

�A couple of well-wishers and chess lovers provided me loan for a trip to New Zealand,� the 55-year-old Lodhi, hailing from Gujranwala, stated. 

�My appeal to the sports authorities of Pakistan to get me my PIA job restored which was terminated over 10 years ago without reasoning,� a record 15-time National Champion, jobless said. 

He called for support and better treatment to other sports persons for bringing honor and glory to the country. 

�If I get proper support from the government, I can bring the world title to Pakistan,� he commented. 

He expressed the hope that securing GM title change his struggling life and he will get support for featuring in GM international events. 

�GM in other countries gets great support and respect. But I am waiting for it to be happening in Pakistan,� he said. 

Besides dominating for Pakistan chess scene for over three decades, Mahmood Lodhi had represented Pakistan in over a dozen World Chess Olympiads.

More bridge youngsters likely in Hadi Cup 2016

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Greater emphasis will be laid in engaging young players from the educational institutions, besides roping in the stalwarts, in the upcoming fifth edition of the Hadi Cup Bridge Tournament to be staged later this year. 

Instituted by Khurshid Hadi, Chairman, Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP), and a former President of the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF), in the memory of his illustrious father, the tournament is set to be organized by the Karachi Bridge Associates (KBA) in the last quarter of the year. 

Interestingly Khurshid Hadi himself, in the company of his regular partner, Kamal Shoaib, had withstood all the challengers to emerge triumphant in the fourth edition of the Hadi Cup Bridge Pairs Championship 2015 which was held at the Aslam Bridge Hall, housed in the National Stadium, Karachi, last year. 

The two veterans of Pakistan bridge, however, had opted to forego their winning purse and donated it to the KBA, who hosted the two-day event, contested by a total of 28 pairs. The total prize money in the event was Rupees one lac and there were a total of 10 prizes on offer, with four for the winners of each session and the top six position holders in the final points table. 

Many of the leading players of the country, particularly those based in Karachi, which has been the hub of bridge activities for a number of years, had featured in the all the previous editions of the Hadi Cup, having become a regular annual event in the national bridge calendar. 

The KBA as well as the Hadi family have now shown the eagerness to attract greater number of young players, particularly students who have been taking bridge classes at their respective educational institutions, because making occasional presence in the various competitions held from time to time. 

Although the format and dates of the 5th Hadi Cup 2016 have not been finalized yet, the organizers are assessing the possibilities of making the tournament a team event instead of a pairs content, and it will announced well in advance to allow adequate time for registration to facilitate greater participation in it.