KATHMANDU: Nepal champion Badri Lal Nepali outplayed Bangladeshi FIDE Master (FM) in the ninth United Insurance and United Leasing Grandmasters Chess Tournament in Dhaka today.

Badri Lal defeated 2391-rated Ahmed Minhajuddin to secure a clean one point in the eighth round match. Ahmed was earlier defeated by Keshav Shrestha and held for a draw by Manish Hamal and veteran Naveen Tandukar. With two wins and three draws Badri Lal has so far earned 3.5 points.

Nepal’s only FM Manish Hamal and his compatriot Naveen Tandukar were paired together in the eighth round match and the match ended in stalemate. Hamal has so far three points while Tandukar, who earned a point following a bye in the sixth round, has 2.5 points.

Bilam Lal Shrestha also played a draw against Polash Aminul Islam of Bangladesh. Shrestha has two points on the board. Nepal’s most successful player, Keshav Shrestha lost his eighth round match to 2532-rated Grand Master (GM) Abdulla Al-Rakib of Bangladesh. Keshav, who came up with some impressive performance in the previous rounds with a win and a draw against FMs, is restricted to four points.