ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Chess Federation (PCF) Secretary Abdus Salim, believes that nor chess neither its players have any proper identity in Pakistan as the mind game is not encouraged well.“We have got a pool of talent in our country and I believe that if our players are polished well they too can be on top world rankings but due to limited sources they lack behind in polishing their abilities well,” Salim said.He said that we want our players to participate in maximum number of tournaments so that they can polish their skills by competing with other internaional players but due to limited resources we are unable to do so.The secretary stressed the need for giving equal encouragement to the mind game, the similar way as cricket, hockey and other sports in Pakistan.“Every sport has its own significance and due to extreme back-up of cricket and hockey, people are not taking part in other games,” Salim told APP.
Salim said that if our players are guided properly they can give us good results both on national and international level in the game.“I see a lot of players do gambling with their friends whenever they play chess. It just because they are good in the game,” he said.He said there are a lot of youngsters who play chess in schools as indoor games but the mind game vanishes after the school time is over as nobody can think of going further with chess due to lack of promotion to this game.Salim said, chess most certainly needs promotion for many reasons, one being its positive effect upon children’s’ logical thinking abilities. “When I see these young players it gives me hope that Pakistan can go a long way in this game.”“He said mind games like chess need sponsorship and funding in Pakistan.”“Interest for the mind game can be produced by educational institutes. We should promote these games in schools and colleges as well so that it helps the younger chess players,” he said.He added that local tournaments must be organized in cities all over the country especially for the poor to encourage the youngsters and promote chess – App
