Zaheer conquers Swiss carrom League title
December 5, 2019, Pune
Pune Former national champion, Zaheer Pasha of India, won the Swiss League event of the 8th International Carrom Federation Cup being played at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune.
Pasha won all eight matches for a tally of 16 points, leaving his countrymen, Anil Mundhe and Komarvelli Srinivas behind with seven wins and 14 points apiece; Mundhe piped Srinivas to second place with a better scoring average. Mundhe must thank Srinivas for having scalped former world champion Nishantha Fernando (12 points) in the earlier rounds. Fernando finished eighth. Reigning world champion Prashant More (12 points) came in sixth.
India’s Ahmed Irshad (4th), Kajal Kumari (5th), Rajesh Gohil (7th), Canada’s Louis Fernandes (9th) and Lanka’s Mohd Anas (10th) were tied on 12 points each, only to be separated by respective scoring averages. K Srinivas beat Sandeep Dive in the last round to clinch third spot.
Kajal Kumari and Rashmi Kumari were the two ladies who put an impressive show in a strong field of 86. Rashmi Kumari finished in 12th place. Zaheer Pasha was in unstoppable form the first day, in an event which is akin to rapid chess. A match consists of only eight boards and has to be completed within 30 minutes.
