Malek bests Enamul

The upsets continued in the 45th National Chess Championship as FM Mohammad Abdul Malek beat Grand Master Enamul Hossain Razib in the second round at the SREDA Auditorium of the Institution of Engineers of Bangladesh in Ramna yesterday.

Malek of Chattogram, playing with white, beat Razib of Saif SC in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted game on the 38th move. Earlier, CM Manon Reza Neer beat FM Nasir Ahmed, however, Neer lost his second game to IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman.

Abdul Malek and three other players -- GM Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib, GM Niaz Murshed and IM Fahad -- topped the table with the maximum two points.

Seven players -- reigning champion GM Ziaur Rahman, GM Reefat Bin Sattar, IM Mohammad Minhaz Uddin, IM Abu Sufian Shakil, FM Debaraj Chaterjee, FM Mehdi Hasan Parag and CM Saiful Islam Chowdhury -- are in joint second position with 1.5 points each.