Pak looks up to India in chess

New Delhi: India and Pakistan see an unparalleled rivalry when it comes to cricket and hockey.

However, when it comes to the game of chess, India take the cake by a great distance over their neighbours.

Since Independence, India has enjoyed a steep incline, producing 15 Grandmasters and many International Masters. Pakistan, however, has only managed two.

At the ongoing Parsvanath International Open chess tournament in the Captial, Pakistani IM Lodhi Mahmood expressed his concern.

"Chess is zero in Pakistan. India is 50 years ahead of us. I want some team tournaments between the two countries because Indo-Pak rivalry sells and can attract sponsors," Lodhi told PTI.

"That is how kabaddi was lifted," he added.

In fact, so impressive has been Pakistan's showing in kabaddi in recent months, that they ended as runners-up at the Asian Games in Doha, losing the gold to India.

Lodhi said Pakistan isn't particularly churning out chess players in great numbers, which is a concern.

"We have only 50-60 players in our country and 20-25 of them are active. In Olympiad we are ranked beyond 80," he said.

Much like the norms existing in India, Lodhi says their government has always promoted cricket and hockey, while games like chess bear the brunt as players do not get enough exposure on the international circuit.