In a thrilling showdown, Pakistan's Under-18 National Chess Champion Mehak Maqbool has outmaneuvered the Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, checkmating him in just a few moves. Mehak recently secured the title at the National Youth Chess Championship organised by the Chess Federation of Pakistan.
The CM played a chess match against the shining star Mehak Maqbool at the CM House on Saturday. Just after a few moves, Mehak checkmated the CM Shah, although he played quite aggressively as well. The CM announced Rs 100,000 for each winner, who included Mehak Maqbool - first place in the U-18 category (SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School, adopted by Zindagi Trust), Yamna Siddiqui - second place in the U-14 category (Govt SMB Fatima Jinnah School), and Alina Siddiqui - third place in the U-12 category (from the same school). Riya Manji participated in the Karachi Under-10 category, and Muhammad Essa Hussain competed in the under-eight and under-nine categories at Sivita School.
Mehak Maqbool is a student at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School, which is adopted by Zindagi Trust. This event represents a significant milestone in recognising the immense talent emerging from government schools and in challenging stereotypes about intellectual sports in Pakistan.
Speaking at the event, the CM shared his pride in the young champions, emphasising that their achievements are a testament to the transformative power of quality education and exposure to strategic disciplines like chess. "Although I lost today, I couldn't be prouder. Witnessing students from our own government schools excel at the national level is a victory for all of us," he remarked.
During the event, the President of Zindagi Trust introduced a comprehensive chess curriculum designed for students in grades third to eighth. This curriculum, available for adoption by all schools across Sindh and Pakistan, aims to establish chess as an academic discipline. It seeks to promote critical thinking, strategic planning, and intellectual development among students nationwide.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ