Fahad sets his sights on IM norms
Mohammad Fahad Rahman, the youngest FIDE Master of Bangladesh, has set an ambitious target to achieve the International Master (IM) title by this year after the young chess prodigy won the 14th Dubai Juniors Chess Tournament on Tuesday.
"Now my target is to achieve the IM title by this year and I will now concentrate on preparation for upcoming tournaments so that I can earn the norms for International Master," said Fahad after returning home from Dubai yesterday afternoon.
One of only 14 FIDE Masters in Bangladesh, Fahad is aiming to achieve two norms of IM in the next five months. In order to do so, Fahad will need to take part in two to three IM or GM tournaments involving at least 27 matches and earn the requisite points from upcoming tournaments.
13-year-old Fahad was awarded the FIDE Master title by the world's game governing body following his triumph in the ASEAN Age Group Chess Championship in 2013, but since then he failed to earn any norms for the IM title despite taking part in some tournaments.
"There are two things needed to get my norms: training and participation in tournaments abroad. I have been training regularly, but I don't have the opportunities to play many tournaments form where I can get the norms. But over the next five months, I will try to participate in as many tournaments as possible," said Fahad, who has recently taken part in two standard tournaments of IIFL -- the Mumbai Junior Chess Champions and sixth Asian Children Games in Russia -- where he failed to earn the required points for the IM norm.
"Playing against senior players is always tough because they are much better and more mature than me, but truthfully, I have been mostly taking part in the rating tournaments which can only increase or decrease my rating, nothing else. In Bangladesh, IM or GM tournaments are not being held, so I don't have the chance to get the norm. For getting the norm I need to play IM or GM tournaments abroad," continued the youth from Faridpur.
The Dubai Junior Chess tournament was the third standard international tournament triumph for Fahad. His first title came in 2012 from the Asian School Chess Championship in Delhi before he clinched the Open Under-10 group of the 14th ASEAN Age Group Chess Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand a year later.
However, Fahad was ecstatic after the Dubai triumph and termed the tournament as one the toughest tournaments he has participated in at the international level so far.
"It was a tough tournament because there were two players who were ranked higher than me. Both of them were also my seniors. Other players have also been ahead of me in rankings and everyone was trying their utmost on the boards," explained Fahad. "I also tried my best. I thought deeply before making any moves and winning the title was the result of my consistent performances throughout the championship."
Fahad also kept the victory at the Dubai Junior Chess Championship ahead of his other triumphs.
"I will keep the Dubai championship ahead of my other triumphs, although victory in the Thailand tournament [ASEAN Age-Group Chess] granted me the title of FIDE master," concluded Fahad.
Nazrul Islam, Fahad's father, urged corporate houses to come forward and sponsor Fahad as his current sponsorship deal with Mahindra Comviva is coming to an end in September.