Fahad beats first of three challenges for becoming chess Grandmaster

Chess player Fahad Rahman has crossed the first of three milestones on the path to becoming the country’s sixth Grandmaster (GM), having won enough points at the Hanoi GM3 Chess Tournament in Vietnam on Sunday.

Fahad is currently an International Master (IM), the rank just below the Grandmaster, the top recognition by the World Chess Federation also known as FIDE. For becoming a Grandmaster, he has won the first of three required norms, which are FIDE’s recognitions of special performance at an accredited chess tournament.

He has to win the rest of the two norms in the next 18 matches. Fahad also became the runners-up of the Hanoi tournament and increased his FIDE rating from 2406 to 2426. International Master Quizon Daniel of Philippines became the champion at Hanoi and also achieved a norm to become a Grandmaster.

Fahad won a total of seven points from nine matches at the Hanoi event (GMB-1), organised by Vietnam Chess Federation and Future Grandmaster Chess Club, to achieve these feats.

The Bangladesh Police sponsored Fahad’s Vietnam tour.

A total of 10 players including 3 Grandmasters, 3 International Masters and 3 FIDE Masters from Bangladesh, Czech Republic, India, Philippines and Vietnam took part at the event.

Grandmaster Niaz Murshed won the top FIDE title for Bangladesh for the first time in 1987, followed by Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman in 2002, Grandmaster Reefat Bin-Sattar in 2005, Grandmaster Abdullah Al-Rakib in 2007 and Grandmaster Enamul Hossain in 2008.