Bangladesh’s international masters Manon Reza Neer and Fahad Rahman began their campaigns at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 in Goa, India, with contrasting results. While Neer secured a draw in his opening game, Fahad suffered defeat.
Neer faced Norway’s grandmaster Tari Aryan, rated 2631, while Neer holds a rating of 2369. Playing with the white pieces, Neer successfully held the higher-rated opponent to a draw. He will play the second game with the black pieces on Sunday. If that game also ends in a draw, the match will progress to rapid tiebreaks and, if still undecided, to blitz. The winner of the match will advance to the second round.
Fahad Rahman encountered Ukraine’s grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk, who is approximately 200 points higher rated (Ivanchuk 2616, Fahad 2416). Fahad, playing with the white pieces, was unable to hold his opponent. He will now play with the black pieces in the second game and must win to remain in the tournament.
Historically, Bangladeshi players tend to exit the World Cup in the first round. Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajib is the only Bangladeshi to have reached the second round, which remains the country’s best performance to date.
