Zaman Sohail and Fariha Siddiq crowned National Chess champions
By Nawaz Gohar ; The 34th National Men’s Chess Championship and the 10th National Women’s Chess Championship concluded at the Pakistan Sports Complex on Thursday.
Over 250 chess players from across the country converged on the federal capital to participate in one of the most highly anticipated domestic chess fixtures of the year.
In the Men’s event, Zaman Sohail of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) secured the coveted national title, etching his name in history as the youngest-ever national chess champion of Pakistan. He scored a decisive five points in the final rounds. Punjab’s M. Zarwaiz Shabkhaiz clinched the runner-up position, while HEC’s A.R. Akhtar secured third place following a tie-break.
In the Women’s category, Punjab’s Fariha Siddiq delivered a masterful, undefeated campaign to lift the championship trophy, securing 10.5 points. Zainobia Wasif and Javeria took the second and third positions, respectively.
The concluding ceremony was graced by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who attended as the chief guest. He distributed trophies, medals, certificates, and cash prizes to the top-performing players.
While addressing the gathering, the Federal Minister reiterated the government’s steadfast commitment to fostering sports throughout the country.
Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry remarked: “Our government is fully committed to identifying raw talent and providing athletes with top-tier international opportunities. We assure our complete backing to the Chess Federation of Pakistan in their efforts to expand the footprint of the mind sport nationwide.”
The ceremony was also attended by key figures from both sports and educational circles, including Federal Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training Mohyuddin Wani, Wajeeha Qamar, Rana Ihsan Afzal, and Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi, the President of the Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP).
According to the organizers, the ultimate objective of the National Championship is to make chess accessible to the grassroots level and to provide an active, competitive arena for local prodigies to scale up to international master standards.
