The Asian Individual Chess Championship is underway in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. In an impressive start, Bangladesh’s International Master and national champion Manon Reza Nir defeated Singaporean Grandmaster Tin Jingyao in the opening round. Nir, with a rating of 2403, overcame a significant rating gap against Tin, who is rated 2601.
While Nir secured a strong opening, the other three Bangladeshi players struggled in the first round. FIDE Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia lost to Russian Grandmaster Kolmakov, and Chinese International Master Chen beat Saklain Mostafa Sajid.
In the women’s section, Bangladesh’s national champion Noshin Anjum also began her campaign with a loss.
The tournament is being held in a nine-round Swiss League format. At the end of the event, the top 12 players in the open section will qualify for the Chess World Cup. Notably, Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajib earned his World Cup spot through this championship in 2007.
Beyond World Cup qualification, the championship also offers Bangladeshi players a chance to earn Grandmaster and International Master norms.
