KARACHI – Pakistan’s top chess player and International Master, Mahmood Ahmed Lodhi got off to a fine start in the Asian Zone 3.2 Chess Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka by winning two out of three matches. In the first round, he beat Shrestha Sujandra Parsad of Nepal and in the second round he defeated country-mate Aamir Karim. However, in the third round Lodhi was held to a draw by local Sri Lankan player RMC Rajapakse.
Lodhi has secured two and half points after the three rounds. In the fourth round he will clash with Bangladesh Grand Master Zia-ur-Rehman. The event will serve as the qualifying round for next year’s World Chess Championship. Besides two Grand Masters from Bangladesh, top players from Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and hosts Sri Lanka are taking part in the tournament.
