Manish, Bilam Lal triumph

KATHMANDU: Nepal came up with mixed results in the ninth round of the ninth United Insurance and United Leasing Grandmasters Chess Tournament in Dhaka today.

Nepal's only FIDE Master (FM) Manish Hamal and veteran Bilam Lal Shrestha registered win in their respective matches. Hamal defeated 2083-rated Abdulla Al-Saif of Bangladesh to collect four points after winning two matches so far.

The 2106-rated Bilam Lal Shrestha registered his first win in the tournament as he defeated 2177-rated Mostafa Golam Bhuiyan of Bangladesh in the ninth round. Shrestha, who earned a point following a bye in the third round, has earned three points on the board.

Reigning Nepal champion Badri Lal Nepali and former champions Keshav Shrestha and Naveen Tandukar lost their respective ninth round matches today. The 2162-rated Nepali lost against Mohammad Jamal Uddin of Bangladesh. With the defeat Nepali was restricted to 3.5 points. Keshav Shrestha, who came with some impressive performance in the previous rounds with a win and draw against FMs, lost to 2316-rated FM Taibur Md Rahman of Bangladesh. Keshav has so far played against four FMs and two Grand Master in the tournament and has four points. He has been paired with 2275-rated Rahman Syed Mahfuzur, another FM from Bangladesh in the 10th and final round.

Meanwhile, Naveen Tandukar lost to Iqramul Haque Siam of Bangladesh. With two points on the board, Tandukar is the only person left to register a win.