Bangladesh's International Master Fahad Rahman took his first step towards becoming a Grand Master after winning the first of three GM norms on Sunday.
He will need two more GM norms and 2500 rating to become the country's sixth GM and the first since 2009. Fahad currently has a rating of 2426.
Fahad, who became an International Master of FIDE in 2019, had been playing around the world in search of a GM norm over the last one-and-a-half years. However, he had got close and yet missed out on the opportunity a number of times.
Fahad needed a win in the last round game in Vietnam today and he did that by beating Vietnamese FIDE Master Ban Gia Hai. He finished joint first along with a Philipino International Master in the tournament. Fahad earned seven points from nine rounds