Istanbul: International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman (rating 2424) moved within touching distance of a Grandmaster norm after defeating Iran’s International Master Pour Agha Bala Amirreza (rating 2453) in the eighth round of the FUBY Academy Norm Chess Tournament Series 3 Grandmaster Event in Istanbul on Wednesday. Fahad Rahman now leads the standings alone with 6.5 points from eight games and needs only half a point in the final round to secure a Grandmaster norm. A draw in the last round will be sufficient for him to achieve the milestone in this nine-round event.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, playing with the black pieces, Fahad employed the Sicilian Defence and secured victory after 59 moves in a well-fought encounter in the penultimate round. With one round remaining, the Bangladeshi IM remains on course for one of the most significant achievements of his chess career.