Bangladesh's chess teams endured a tough second round at the 45th Chess Olympiad on Thursday. Both the men's and women's squads suffered defeats against formidable opponents.
The men's team fell 3.5-0.5 to a strong Vietnamese side in the open section. Grandmaster Niaz Murshed managed a draw against 15-year-old FM Banh Gia Huy, a promising talent with two International Master norms. However, IM Fahad Rahman, FM Manon Reja Neer, and GM Enamul Hossain all suffered losses to their Vietnamese counterparts.
In the women's section, Bangladesh was outplayed 3-1 by a powerful Romanian team. WFM Noshin Anjum and WCM Wadifa Ahmed secured draws, but WFM Walijah Ahmed and WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo were unable to match their opponents.
On Friday's third round, the Bangladesh men's team faced Cyprus, while the women's team will locked horns against Barbados. The teams hoped to bounce back
and improve their standings in the tournament.
