GM Abdulla Al Rakib qualifies for the World Cup 2017
Asian Zonal 3.2 championship was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The countries eligible to take part in this event are Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. The best players from Bangladesh showed a clear domination in both open and women's category. GM Abdulla Al Rakib pipped Ziaur Rahman at the finish line to take the lone World Cup spot, while in the women's section it was the indomitable 73-year-old Rani Hamid who emerged victorious. We have a beautiful report sent to us by IA Dharmendra Kumar.
Asian Zonal 3.2: GM Mollah Abdulla Al Rakib qualifies for World Cup
Twenty players from Asian countries are qualified for the prestigious FIDE World Cup. India and China being powerhouse nations, have separate chess zones. Two players from China, and one player (National Premier Champion) from India, secure berths in the World Cup. Remaining 17 players are qualified through Asian Continental and Asian Zonal championships.
The Asian Zonal 3.2, featured players from South Asian nations including host Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Maldives. India doesn't fall in this zone. It was held in Kathmandu from March 18 to 28 with a total prize fund of $6500.
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.03.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Mollah Abdullah , Al Rakib"]
[Black "Hossain, Enamul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2492"]
[BlackElo "2474"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2017.04.19"]
[SourceDate "2017.04.19"]
Qd8 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. dxe6 fxe6 11. e5 Nd5 12. Qh5+ g6 13. Qg4 Qe7 14. Ne4 Qf7
15. c4 Nb4 16. Nf3 N8c6 17. Nf6+ Kd8 18. Bxb4 cxb4 19. Ng5 Qe8 20. Rd1 h6 21.
Rxd6 hxg5 22. Rxd7+ Qxd7 23. Nxd7 Kxd7 24. Qxg5 Be7 25. Qxg6 Rag8 26. Qe4 1-0
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
1 | 2 | GM | Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib | BAN | 2492 | 8,0 | 0,0 | 44,0 | 48,0 | |
2 | 1 | GM | Rahman Ziaur | BAN | 2520 | 7,5 | 0,0 | 45,5 | 50,0 | |
3 | 4 | GM | Murshed Niaz | BAN | 2422 | 6,5 | 0,0 | 46,0 | 50,5 | |
4 | 9 | Kalugampitiya R S | SRI | 2129 | 6,0 | 0,0 | 35,0 | 38,0 | ||
5 | 7 | FM | Hasan Mehdi | BAN | 2263 | 5,5 | 0,0 | 44,5 | 45,5 | |
6 | 8 | FM | Rahman Syed Mahfuzur | BAN | 2250 | 5,5 | 0,0 | 44,0 | 47,0 | |
7 | 10 | CM | Kayastha Madan Krishna | NEP | 2099 | 5,5 | 0,0 | 41,5 | 45,0 | |
8 | 12 | CM | Shrestha Keshav | NEP | 2077 | 5,0 | 0,0 | 45,5 | 50,0 | |
9 | 3 | GM | Hossain Enamul | BAN | 2474 | 5,0 | 0,0 | 45,0 | 49,5 | |
10 | 6 | FM | Rahman Md. Taibur | BAN | 2341 | 5,0 | 0,0 | 40,5 | 44,5 |
Complete list of final rankings
Women's Section
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.03.27"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shamima, Akter"]
[Black "Shrestha , Sabina"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D14"]
[WhiteElo "2077"]
[BlackElo "1405"]
[PlyCount "49"]
Qd7 9. Ne5 Qc8 10. Bb5 Bd6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bxd6 Qd7 13. Ba3 cxb5 14. Nxb5 Qc6
15. Qb4 Kd8 16. Qe7+ Kc8 17. Nd6+ Kb8 18. O-O Qd7 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Qb4+ Qb7
21. Qd6+ Qc7 22. Qa6 Ne8 23. Rac1 Qd7 24. Rc3 Nc7 25. Rb3+ 1-0
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
1 | 3 | WIM | Hamid Rani | BAN | 1990 | 8,0 | 1,0 | 42,0 | 44,0 | |
2 | 1 | WIM | Shamima Akter | BAN | 2077 | 8,0 | 0,0 | 42,0 | 42,0 | |
3 | 4 | WFM | Khan Nazrana | BAN | 1904 | 6,0 | 0,0 | 42,0 | 42,0 | |
4 | 5 | Sharmin Samiha Shimmi | BAN | 1842 | 5,5 | 1,0 | 40,5 | 40,5 | ||
5 | 2 | WFM | Sultana Sharmin Shirin | BAN | 1998 | 5,5 | 0,0 | 40,5 | 40,5 | |
6 | 6 | Saumy Zainab | SRI | 1788 | 5,0 | 0,0 | 43,0 | 45,0 | ||
7 | 7 | WCM | Chowdhury Mahmuda Hoque | BAN | 1740 | 4,0 | 1,0 | 39,5 | 39,5 | |
8 | 9 | Thapa Shanta | NEP | 1626 | 4,0 | 1,0 | 39,0 | 39,0 | ||
9 | 12 | Shrestha Sabina | NEP | 1405 | 4,0 | 1,0 | 38,5 | 38,5 | ||
10 | 8 | Kusi Matina | NEP | 1701 | 2,0 | 1,0 | 38,0 | 38,0 |
Closing ceremony
Sightseeing in Nepal
About the author
IA Dharmendra Kumar is one of the most well known and respected arbiters in India. He is perhaps the only person in the country, who makes a living out of being an arbiter. Visiting new places, witnessing the natural beauty and spreading the game of chess are his main interests. He is also an author for the ChessBase India Hindi newspage.