Niaz crowned national chess champion again

Grandmaster Niaz Murshed became unbeaten champion in the 49th National Chess Championship with 10.5 points after beating FM Subroto Biswas in the final and 13th round, held at Level 4 of Youth Tower in Shewrapara, Dhaka on Wednesday.

The eighth win alongside five draws in 13 matches saw Niaz clinch the title of the national championship for the seventh time overall and first since 2019. The sub-continent's first GM had won the national title for the first time in 1979.

The latest title makes the 59-year-old the second highest winner in the national championship following late GM Ziaur Rahman, who won the title 14 times.

Niaz and IM Fahad Rahman had started the last round with 9.5 points each, with the possibility of pushing the title-decider into a tie-breaking play-off.

But Fahad lost to Mohammad Saker Ullah, squandering the chance of sealing a maiden national title, settling instead for a runner-up finish with 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.