Emir Dizdarević made his first major success in chess tournaments in the 1980s. In 1987, he shared 1st place in the International Chess Tournament in Pleven. In 1988, in Sarajevo he shared 1st place in the International Chess Tournament "Bosna". In 1989, he shared 2nd place in International Chess Tournament in Zenica. In 1992, Dizdarević won the International Chess Tournament in Ljubljana. In 2000, in New Delhi he participated in the FIDE World Chess Championship in which he won the 1st round to Lev Psakhis but lost to Boris Gelfand in the 2nd round. Emir Dizdarević won the Bosnia and Herzegovina Chess Championship two times in a row (2011, 2012). In 2014, he won the Bosnian International Chess Tournament "Bošnjaci" (Bosniaks).