Sehba Shah overcame a extreme bodily handicap to turn out to be Pakistan Ladies’s Champion. The 59-year-old will now lead the nationwide staff competing within the largest chess occasion on the calendar.
The forty fifth FIDE Chess Olympiad, which takes place in Hungary’s capital Budapest from September 10-23, is about greater than nationwide groups and the world’s high grandmasters battling it out for glory and medals. It is also a celebration of chess as a common recreation, accessible to everybody throughout borders, permitting smaller chess nations to showcase their abilities and achieve expertise in opposition to the perfect on this planet.
One among them is Sehba Shah, who, at 59, will signify her nation on the Olympiad for the primary time. Shah is affected by progressive muscular dystrophy, a debilitating situation that has severely weakened her muscle groups and confined her to a wheelchair. Regardless of these challenges, her love for chess has remained unshaken.
With the assistance of an assistant who bodily strikes the items on the board for her, Shah dominated the 25-player nationwide girls’s chess championship, scoring 6.5 factors out of seven rounds.
“Chess means rather a lot to me contemplating that I’ve developed an curiosity on this recreation and it’s no longer solely a interest however a ardour for me,” she advised Chess.com.
Chess means rather a lot to me contemplating that I’ve developed an curiosity on this recreation and it’s no longer solely a interest however a ardour for me.
—Sehba Shah
Attributable to her handicap and the distant areas of the occasions, she had not been ready to participate in earlier nationwide championships. This time, due to the Pakistani Chess Federation and different supporters, two feminine assistants and a driver have been offered to her. That allowed her to journey from Lahore to the capital Islamabad.
“The match went nicely for me from the start,” she stated. “The occasion offered a degree enjoying subject by which efficiency on the board was the one criterion of analysis. The occasion offered a possibility the place completely different sorts of inequalities have been relegated to the background and all have been judged by the identical yardstick.”
| Rk. | Participant | Ranking | Pts. |
| 1 | Sehba Shah | 0 | 6,5 |
| 2 | Wasif Zenobia | 1708 | 5,5 |
| 3 | Gul Mehak | 1726 | 5 |
| 4 | Sehrish | 1613 | 5 |
| 5 | Asmi Aayat | 1478 | 4,5 |
| 6 | Ahmad Raj Zoya | 0 | 4,5 |
| 7 | Khan Yumna | 1640 | 4 |
| 8 | Saddique Fareeha | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Ali Maliha | 1698 | 4 |
| 10 | Shafique Alishba | 1687 | 4 |
Shah’s chess journey started on the tender age of ten, sparked by the historic 1972 World Chess Championship match between GMs Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. Collectively together with her older brother Selman, who additionally suffered from the identical genetic illness, she was decided to be taught the sport.
Rising up in Meerut, India, the 2 struggled to search out anybody to show them the fundamentals. When their cousin ultimately visited from New Delhi and gave a quick ten-minute lesson on the basics, their ardour was ignited as soon as extra, they usually developed a circle of chess-playing mates.
After transferring to Pakistan in 1987, the siblings have been initially remoted from the chess group however stayed lively by enjoying correspondence chess. They continued to enhance their recreation by studying and observe.
Selman, who had been a relentless companion and ethical assist to his sister since childhood, tragically handed away in 1994. Regardless of the profound loss, her urging to maintain enjoying chess and try for excellence stayed together with her. She continued learning chess books and analyzing video games through the use of a small chess board and a pencil to push the items within the pre-computer period.
In recent times, Shah has been enjoying in principally native and provincial chess occasions and in on-line correspondence chess occasions. She was not ready to participate within the final nationwide championship as a consequence of difficult journey situations to a distant location and an absence of assist from her federation.
That half was solved this yr, and now Shah’s exceptional achievement has drawn consideration in her nation, which led to her being interviewed by nationwide tv. She was additionally praised by Hanif Qureshi, the President of Pakistan’s Chess Federation, who stated, “I’m immensely proud to explain Shah’s extraordinary achievement in profitable the Pakistani Ladies’s Chess Championship. Her victory isn’t just a private triumph however a beacon of inspiration for a lot of.”
Qureshi stated Shah’s story will encourage extra individuals to pursue their ardour and by no means hand over, whatever the hurdles they face. “Shah is a shining instance of the inclusive and empowering nature of chess,” he advised Chess.com.
Shah is a shining instance of the inclusive and empowering nature of chess,
—Hanif Qureshi, President of the Pakistan Chess Federation
One among Shah’s largest supporters is Samreen Khan, who additionally participated in Pakistan’s Ladies’s Chess Championship. She tells Chess.com that Shah caught her consideration when she constantly appeared on high of the standings in district-level tournaments.Â
“Being a brand new and novice participant myself, I have been actively searching for steering from seniors, so assembly Sehba was a singular alternative I could not miss.”
After Shah turned the nationwide girls’s champion, the 2 met. “Our assembly lasted for two.5 hours, focusing solely on chess. Her insights have been extremely priceless, and I needed I may have spent extra time studying from her.”
Khan admires Shah’s dedication to the sport, which has led her to turn out to be a champion by “sheer psychological ability and willpower.”
“Sehba’s story is really inspirational. Her perseverance, focus, and willpower have taught me that irrespective of your age or the obstacles you face, you’ll be able to obtain greatness if you happen to stay dedicated to your targets. She talked about in our assembly that she ‘would have died if there was no chess,’ highlighting how integral the sport is to her life. Sehba’s achievements and her journey on this planet of chess deserve immense recognition, and she or he continues to encourage me day by day.”
Sehba’s story is really inspirational. Her perseverance, focus, and willpower have taught me that irrespective of your age or the obstacles you face, you’ll be able to obtain greatness if you happen to stay dedicated to your targets.
—Samreen Khan, Shah’s good friend and supporter
In the meantime, Shah is getting ready for her subsequent transfer in Budapest, telling Chess.com:
“I’m excited on the prospect of enjoying for Pakistan. I shall put together for the worldwide occasion by specializing in eliminating weaknesses in my recreation and bringing about enchancment in all areas, opening, center, and endgame.”
