When the National Sports Council authorised the ad-hoc committee of nine federations in mid-November, FIDE master Taibur Rahman was appointed general secretary of the Bangladesh Chess Federation. In an interview with 抖阴精品鈥檚 Wahid Ullah Bakul, the 48-year-old chess player and government employee discussed the present state of chess in the country as well as his game development goals. Here are the excerpts:聽
抖阴精品: What challenges are you facing after taking charge of the Bangladesh Chess Federation鈥檚 ad-hoc committee?
Taibur Rahman: The main challenge is to overcome the financial crisis. Otherwise, I don鈥檛 see any big challenges. I have been playing chess for over 30 years; I know what needs to be done for the development of the game, including having a new Grandmaster within a short period.
NA: Would you please specify the needs?
Taibur: We must host at least four to six international tournaments every year and ensure long-term training at home and abroad. Besides, the organisers must emphasise on the grassroots level, where we hardly focused before. We need to host at least two tournaments in each district every year. And the new players must be groomed through proper arrangements, keeping them engaged for six months of training, four months in home-based competitions, and two months in away competitions in a year.
NA: Bangladesh produced South Asia鈥檚 first GM in 1987, a year before India. So far now we have a total of five GMs, and India produced over 90 GMs. Why are we lagging behind?
Taibur: It is mainly because of our economic structure of chess. It will be an unfair comparison if you look at the Indian chess authority鈥檚 support, which includes the availability and access to well-structured venues, the number of chess academies, the quantity of prize money, job opportunities, and other incentives.
NA: What is the prospect of chess in Bangladesh, and how could we get more GMs?
Taibur: If you provide me with the necessary resources, I can promise you to produce our next Grandmaster by 2025. Currently, we have two potential FIDE masters鈥擬anon Reja Neer and Mohammad Fahad Rahman鈥攊n the pipeline to become Grandmasters. To achieve this, we need resources to ensure uninterrupted training facilities and regular participation in international competitions. If we want to have more GMs, we have to bring competitiveness in chess by raising the number of the FIDE-listed players.
NA: As you mentioned about the financial crisis, how would you overcome this challenge?聽
Taibur: I am a bit worried about managing the funds. So far now, I have approached the organisers of the Math Olympiad committee to incorporate chess alongside their Olympiad event. I think it will be cost-effective to reach 50 to 60 thousand chess players each year. One of our members pledged financial support to reach 10 thousand school students.
NA: What are your other plans?
Taibur: We are in search of a sponsor so that we can appoint a foreign coach within a short time for the national players. We want to produce the next Grandmaster soon. I can assure you that we have enough talents; they just need proper nursing. But unfortunately, currently we have no chess academy. Besides, we have only one venue at the NSC old building, which is not even enough to host the national league. I鈥檓 looking for more permanent venues and have already written to both [Dhaka North and South] city corporations.聽