Pakistan’s 3rd National Youth Chess Championship 2025 under the Prime Minister’s National Mind Sports initiative concludes with historic wins by government girls school adopted by the Zindagi Trust.
The chess championship was successfully held at Karachi Grammar School in collaboration with Karpov Chess Club under the umbrella of the Chess Federation of Pakistan.
The two-day championship, organised on February 22 and 23, was conducted under International Chess Federation (FIDE) rules and attracted top young chess talent from across Pakistan, including students from some of the country’s most prestigious private schools.
This championship served as the official selection tournament for the Pakistani National Youth Team. The selected players will represent Pakistan in upcoming international FIDE competitions.
A remarkable highlight of the tournament was the outstanding performance of girls from government schools adopted by the Zindagi Trust, showcasing the impact of chess education in public schools.
SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School’s — adopted by Zindagi Trust — Mehak Maqbool, Yamna Siddiqui and Alina Siddiqui won 1st place in the U-18 category, 2nd place in the U-14 category and 3rd place in the U-12 category respectively.
This achievement is a heartfelt testament to the power of generational change through quality education.
It’s profoundly moving to see that Hira, the dedicated chess teacher at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School, not only trains these champions but also once walked the same corridors as her students. Her journey from student to mentor breathes life into the very essence of hope and progress, adding an extra layer of inspiration to this success story — each lesson passed on, each move made on the chessboard is a powerful reminder that our roots and dreams are deeply intertwined.
Zindagi Trust has been at the forefront of integrating chess into public education, being the first organisation to develop a structured chess curriculum for grades 3 to 8.
