Chess

Chess

International Chess Day / ‘Love for the game’ still drives Rani Hamid at 81

At 81, Bangladesh’s chess icon Rani Hamid remains an enduring source of inspiration. On International Chess Day, marking 101 years since FIDE’s founding, she reflects with The Daily Star’s Atique Anam on her journey, late start, memorable matches, and more.

1w ago

Subrota claims GM Zia Memorial 2025 crown; Tahsin Zia a close second

The four-lakh prize money tournament got underway last Saturday with 64 players.

2w ago

The pieces are set, in a name to remember

A landmark event in Bangladesh’s chess calendar gets underway today, as Dhaka plays host to the inaugural GM Zia Memorial chess tournament. The event is a tribute to the late Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman, one of the most revered names in the nation’s sporting history.

3w ago

Zia Memorial GM Chess to begin on July 4

A grandmaster chess tournament is set to begin in Bangladesh. The event, titled the Zia Memorial Grandmaster Chess Tournament, honours the memory of the late Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman.

1m ago

Rani Hamid left stranded and alone in Delhi: report

Celebrated Bangladeshi chess player Rani Hamid, who is currently competing in the 21st Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament, has been reportedly left emotionally distressed following an unexpected incident involving her travel companion.

1m ago

Chess great Carlsen held to draw by 143,000 players

Organised by the match site chess.com, the duel -- dubbed "Magnus Carlsen vs. The World" -- pitted the 34-year-old Norwegian against amateurs from around the planet who decided their moves by popular vote.

2m ago

Taliban govt suspends chess in Afghanistan

Taliban authorities have barred chess across Afghanistan until further notice over concerns it is a source of gambling, which is illegal under the government’s morality law, a sports official said yesterday.

2m ago

Tahsin secures final IM norm in Hungary

FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia earned the third and final norm for turning an International Master after beating Hungarian Grandmaster Gergely Aczel in the 10th and final round of Farago Ivan Memorial GM Chess tournament in Hungary on Sunday.

3m ago

‘We are nowhere on chess’ world map now’

The Daily Star (DS): You bagged the grandmaster appellation back in 2008. Tell us about that achievement.

3y ago

More excuses than moves made as clock keeps ticking

Once a vibrant sport in the country, chess had apparently lost its charm since 2010 due to a dearth of organisers.

3y ago

‘I see myself as Bangladesh’s future Grandmaster’

Noshin Anjum, an 18-year-old chess player who dared to defy the odds by competing against 80 boys and two girls, finished second in the 2022 National Junior Chess Championship despite not losing to eventual winner Subrata Biswas, a fellow FIDE Master, in the final.

3y ago

A case of faulty pawn structure

Bangladesh, a country which produced the first grandmaster in the subcontinent through Niaz Murshed back in 1987, quite arguably, has miserably failed to live up to its expectation in the game of chess whereas neighbouring India, who had their first GM in Vishwanathan Anand in 1988, progressed in leaps in bounds over the years to become a global powerhouse at present.

3y ago

Chess Players

TOTAL MALE PLAYERS: 1586

3y ago

Premier Div Chess to see highest number of GMs

Premier Division Chess League, powered by Shah Cement, will see the highest number of Grand Masters participating in the tournament’s history. Seven of the 12 teams consist of a total of 18 GMs in the league, starting tomorrow at the Asia Hotel and Resort in Dhaka.

3y ago

India's 16-year-old chess prodigy stuns Carlsen

Indian teenage chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa won praise Tuesday for a stunning victory over world number one Magnus Carlsen in an online championship.

3y ago

Children from slums with less than 3 months’ training defeat FIDE rated players

With less than three months’ training, Poly Khatun and Mim Akhter, children from the slums of Mirpur, have defeated internationally rated chess players. 

3y ago

Rajib seals chess title

Grand Master Enamul Hossain Rajib became champion in the Golden Jubilee of Independence 46th National Premier Chess Championship by beating FM Subrota Biswas in the 13th and final round in Dhaka yesterday.

3y ago

‘Need to patronise less popular sports’

The Daily Star (DS): How much do you enjoy still playing chess at the age of 77? RH: I love playing chess, that's why I am still playing it. While it is true that I'm taking on many budding players or even the third generation, but theyget opportunities we didn’t have during our childhood. We were asked to play outdoors instead of sitting in front of the chess board. Chess was once a game of aged players but it has turned into a game for children. I am playing chess with the same enthusiasm I had from the beginning mainly because I have nothing much to do at home.

3y ago