Sports
Al Rakib, Hamid the champions
Grand Master (GM) Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib of Bangladesh won the Asian Zonal 3.2 Open Championship title on Monday.Grand Master (GM) Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib of Bangladesh won the Asian Zonal 3.2 Open Championship title on Monday.
Rakib beat fellow GM Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh in the ninth and final round to finish the event on eight points, which earned him a berth for World Chess Championship to be held in Georgia in September along with a cash purse of $ 1,500. GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh finished second with 7.5 points after defeating Keshav Shrestha of Nepal in the ninth round on Monday. Defending champion Rahman earned $1,000. GM Niaz Murshed ended up in third with seven points after playing a draw in the ninth round against Bangladeshi compatriot Hasan Mehdi. Murshed received $500.
Rani Hamid claimed the women’s title on head-to-head record against defending champion and Bangladeshi compatriot Shamima Akter. In the final round match, WIM Hamid beat Matina Kusi of Nepal to finish on eight points, the same as Akter, who beat Sabina Shrestha on Monday. Hamid earned $1,000 and Akter got $500.
WFM Nazrana Khan of Bangladesh finished third with six points followed by her compatriots Sharmin Samiha Shimmi in fourth and Sultana Sharmin Shirin in fifth place. Saumy Zainab of Sri Lanka finished in sixth followed by Mahmuda Hoque Chowdhury of Bangladesh in seventh, Shanta Thapa of Nepal in eighth and Sabina Shrestha in ninth place.
In the Open category, RS Kalugampitiya, the 2129-rated sole representative from Sri Lanka, earned the Fide Master title after finishing in fourth with six points. Kalugampitiya defeated Himal Lama of Nepal on Monday. FM Hasan Mehdi and FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman, both of Bangladesh, finished in fifth and sixth places, while CM Madan Krishna Kayastha of Nepal ended up in seventh. CM Keshav Shrestha of Nepal, GM Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh and FM Md Taibur Rahman of Bangladesh rounded the top 10 finishes.