Bangladesh’s campaign in the Chess World Cup came to an early end, with both International Masters Manon Reza Neer and Fahad Rahman exiting in the first round. Between them, the pair managed just half a point from two matches, while their opponents collected one and a half to progress.
International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman (rating 2414) had lost his first match with the white pieces on Saturday. He fought back to earn a draw against Ukrainian Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk (rating 2616) in Sunday’s second game, using the Slav Defence with the black pieces to hold his seasoned rival after 30 moves.
Meanwhile, International Master Manon Reza Neer (rating 2360) suffered defeat to Norwegian Grandmaster Aryan Tari (rating 2631) in his second encounter. Playing the French variation of the Sicilian Defence with black, Neer battled hard but eventually succumbed after 79 moves.
Bangladesh’s struggle at the World Cup continued, as no player has yet gone beyond the first round — except Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajib, who reached the second round once, marking the nation’s best-ever performance in the competition.
