Chess: Akram stuns Lodhi in 4th round

KARACHI: Third-seed Wasim Akram stunned defending champion Mehmood Lodhi to take the lead in the seniors’ competition of the Pakistan Chess Players Association Championship. After beating pre-tournament favourite Lodhi in the fourth round, Akram went on to defeat Asif Abbasi, while Lodhi bounced back for a win against second-seed Tanveer Gillani in the fifth round. Meanwhile, national women’s champion Nida Mishraz’s dismal run in the tournament continued as she lost to Muhammad Ramzan in their fifth-round clash, while Ghazala Shaikh was outplayed by Asrar Hussain.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2012.