Grand Master Enamul Hossain Razib retained the title of the National 'A' Chess Championship after beating fellow GM Abdullah Al Rakib in title-deciding playoffs at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room yesterday.

The championship rolled into rapid-fire playoffs after both players ended on top of the table with 11 points each. In the playoffs, Razib won the 25-minute first match while Rakib surrendered during the second match as Razib claimed the national title for the fourth time. 

"It was a great playoff for both of us because Rakib has always been better than me in rapid-fire format," Razib said after his victory. "But this time I made good start in both games and I capitalised on a silly mistake he made in the second match."

Razib, the youngest GM of the country, won his first national title in 1997, two years after making his debut in top-tier league. He became champion in 2006 and 2016 also.

"After losing the first game, I adopted attacking strategy but a silly mistake cost me and I surrendered," said Rakib, who had to be content with a second-place finish for the second time running after having clinched the title in 2007 and 2013.