Grandmaster Niaz Murshed emerged as the unbeaten champion of the 49th National Chess Championship after defeating FM Subroto Biswas in the final and 13th round at Youth Tower in Shewrapara, Dhaka, on Wednesday.
Niaz finished with 10.5 points from 13 games, securing eight wins and five draws to lift the national crown for the seventh time in his career and the first since 2019. The 59-year-old, who became the subcontinent’s first Grandmaster, had first claimed the national title in 1979.
His latest triumph makes him the second most successful player in the history of the competition, behind the late GM Ziaur Rahman, who holds a record 14 national titles.
The final round began with Niaz and IM Fahad Rahman level on 9.5 points, raising the possibility of a tie-break. However, Fahad suffered a costly defeat to Mohammad Saker Ullah, missing the opportunity to secure his maiden title and instead finishing runner-up on 9.5 points.
FM Saklaine Mostafa Sajid, last year’s champion IM Manon Reza Neer and FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia finished third, fourth and fifth with 8.5, 8 and 7.5 points respectively.
