Neer secures Chess World Cup spot with Asian Zonal victory, Tahsin earns second IM norm
In the Open category, Neer’s triumph and Wadifa’s win in the Women’s category guarantee Bangladesh representation in both divisions. This marks the first time Bangladesh has participated in the competition without a Grandmaster.
Monon Reza Neer, Bangladesh's International Master and national chess champion, has secured victory at the Asian Zonal Chess 3.2 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, earning the right to represent the country at the upcoming Chess World Cup.
In the Open category, Neer's triumph and Wadifa's win in the Women's category guarantee Bangladesh representation in both divisions. This marks the first time Bangladesh has participated in the competition without a Grandmaster.
Wadifa needed only a draw to claim her title, and she secured it by drawing with fellow International Woman Master Rani Hamid. In the Open category, the final round saw Neer draw with Sri Lankan player Dilshan, while another International Master, Fahad Rahman, defeated FIDE Master Imon. Neer's seven-point score left him as the sole champion.
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Neer, a rising star in Bangladesh's chess community, became national champion last year and earned the International Master (IM) title. Notably, he achieved the IM title at a younger age than Grandmaster Niaz Morshed. He also represented Bangladesh at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary last year.
This will be Neer's first appearance in the World Cup. Despite a less-than-ideal performance at the World Junior Chess Championship in Montenegro two weeks ago, Neer proved his mettle by topping the Asian Zonal event.
In the Open category, FIDE Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia, son of the late Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman, led or jointly led for several rounds. However, after losing to Neer in the eighth round, he fell back. In the final round, Tahsin claimed victory to finish with 6.5 points, tying with Sri Lankan Dilshan and Bangladesh's Fahad and Imon. In the tiebreakers, Tahsin secured second place, with Dilshan in third.
In the Asian Zonal, players who win in the FIDE, Candidate Master, and non-rated categories qualify for the World Cup and earn the International Master title directly. Second and third place finishers receive IM norms. Tahsin's second-place finish earned him his second International Master norm. His first IM norm was earned two years ago at the Asian Zonal in Dhaka. To achieve the IM title, a player must reach a 2400 rating and earn three norms. With two norms already in hand, Tahsin needs one more norm and a 2400 rating to achieve the IM title.
