Pakistan Chess 2012 Round 5 - Defending Champion Lodhi Leads

Nida Siddiqui, Defending
Champion among women

Pakistan national chess champion Mehmood Lodhi is defending his title at the 2012 championship in Karachi and is leading after five rounds. He beat Raees Ansari on the third day of the event and remains unbeaten in the tournament so far. He is followed by Anwar Qureshi in second place with 4.5 points. Eight other players are still vying for third place in the event that features 80 players from four provinces and sports departments of Pakistan. Meanwhile, in the women’s championship, national champion Nida Siddique, Zenobia Wasif and Ghazala have secured two points each.The championships are also being held to select the Pakistan chess team for the forthcoming chess olympiad to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in August.

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World Chess Championship Blitz & Rapid Inauguration Ceremony Today in Astana

The chess world is going to witness the first-ever World Chess Championship in Rapid and Blitz formats of the sport in Astana, Kazakhstan. The head of the country of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev will officially declare open the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Astana today - July 5.

The inauguration ceremony would be held in Astana at the Radisson hotel and would include the drawing of colours for the pairings. Not only is the format exciting, but so is the line-up of players: the strongest in the world.

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Igor Kurnosov, Alexey Dreev, Vladislav Tkachiev Qualify for World Rapid Chess 2012

GM Igor Kurnosov has won the qualifier of the World Rapid Chess Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. He was already leading on the first day and finished the qualifier with a point ahead of the rest of the field. Second place was shared by four players, but 2nd and 3rd on tiebreak were Alexey Dreev and Vladislav Tkachiev, who also qualified for the World Rapid Chess 2012 finals.

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