Neer earns draw, Fahad beaten

Bangladesh's International Masters Manon Reza Neer and Fahad Rahman began their campaigns at the World Chess Cup 2025, which started on Saturday in Goa, with contrasting fortunes.

Neer earned an impressive draw against a much higher-rated opponent, while Fahad suffered defeat in his opening game.

Playing with the white pieces, Neer held Norway's Grandmaster Aryan Tari (rating 2631) to a draw, despite having a rating of 2369. Neer will play the second game on Sunday with the black pieces. If that game also ends in a draw, the match will move to rapid games, and if still undecided, blitz tiebreakers will follow. The winner of the match will qualify for the second round.

In contrast, Fahad faced a tough opponent in Ukraine's Grandmaster Vasyl Ivanchuk, who is rated around 200 points higher than him (Ivanchuk 2616, Fahad 2416). He will now play with the black pieces on Sunday and must win to stay alive in the tournament.

Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajib remains the only Bangladeshi to have reached the second round in Chess World Cup -- the country's best result so far.