Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi chess legend

Remembering Ziaur Rahman

The date was 22 August 2008. It was the seventh round at the Dato Tan Open in Malaysia - my first-ever tournament outside Indian soil. My opponent was a grandmaster from Bangladesh, rated 2564: GM Ziaur Rahman.

The position is difficult for me (as White). Black is a couple of pawns up and although his king is a bit unsafe, his position does seem manageable. Ziaur, in his bid to exchange off pieces, played his queen to f6. I just couldn't believe my eyes! I moved my rook to c8 and after Kxc8 Bg4+, the queen on f6 was lost. Ziaur resigned the game.

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Even though 16 years have elapsed since this moment, I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I ran to the washroom, with tears in my eyes, and I pumped my fists. It was my first-ever win against a grandmaster.

The organizers had a special prize in the tournament for any untitled player who beat a grandmaster: 100 USD - it goes without saying that this note remains with me as one of the most precious memories of my chess playing career

The win proved as a constant motivation in my chess journey. Whenever I doubted myself, it provided me with a source of inspiration to continue moving along the path of improvement. But you know, when I look back at my journey, what is even more inspiring for me now as an individual was how Ziaur Rahman behaved with me after that game. Always with a smile, never bitter about the result - he showed me what sportsmanship in chess looked like without ever uttering a single word. His actions spoke louder than words.

Ziaur Rahman with his wonderful family - wife Labanya and son Zia Tahsin

Interview with Ziaur Rahman and Zia Tahsin after round 4 of the Chess Olympiad 2022

In our last few meets, Ziaur would always compliment me for the work I was doing for chess. "ChessBase India has played an important role in the growth of Indian chess", is what he had mentioned once to me. It goes without saying that coming from a man who had been in the chess world for so long, this was highly inspirational for me.

On 5 July 2024, the chess world got the shocking news of Ziaur Rahman passing away. He was just 50 years old. He was playing at the Bangladeshi National Championships 2024, and in the twelfth round was up against GM Enamul Hossain.

After 25 moves, the following position was reached.

In the above position, which was clearly better for Ziaur (White), he collapsed on the floor. He was then taken to Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital in Shahbag, where it was declared that he had died of a heart attack. Absolutely shocking news.

The Bangladeshi chess legend

Ziaur Rahman, born on 1 May 1974, was the second player from Bangladesh to achieve the GM title after Niaz Murshed. He holds the record for the highest rating reached by a Bangladeshi chess player: 2570. Apart from winning many strong international events, he represented his country in 15 Olympiads and won the national championship a record 15 times.

At the Dresden Olympiad in 2008, Ziaur Rahman played for the top board of the Bangladesh team and was pitted against Magnus Carlsen. In fact, he got an excellent position out of the opening and going into the middlegame. In the end, he had to split the point. But it was definitely one of the highlights of Ziaur Rahman's chess career.

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Ziaur Rahman

Ziaur Rahman played an amazing tournament at the Kolkata GM 2014. Although he finished sixth, he managed to remain unbeaten and he stunned two 2600+ opponents: Nigel Short and Sergey Fedorchuk. Replay below both victories.

If you look closely at both the above games, you will see that they were quite different in nature. Although Ziaur remained at heart a positional player, he loved complications and did not shy away from complex games. This was clear in his battle against Fedorchuk.

At the FIDE World Cup 2013, Ziaur Rahman was up against Boris Gelfand in round 1. In the first game, Gelfand won. But the second encounter was an amazing battle in which Ziaur came out all guns blazing in a must-win encounter. Boris escaped by the skin of his teeth and managed to qualify for round 2 of the World Cup.

Below is the second game of the match.

Homage to Ziaur Rahman

Boris Gelfand: Really shocking news. I played with Ziaur in the first round of the World Cup in Tromso. It was a very tough match. I was White in the first game. I had some pressure, but he played excellent positional chess, and I was lucky to win just due to his mistakes in time trouble (move 40 was the decisive one). In the second game he outplayed me, and I saved that game just by luck. I met Ziaur during some tournaments, and it was always a pleasure to see him. A tragic loss for the chess community. My deep condolences to Ziaur's family.

Arjun Erigaisi: It is indeed very shocking and sad to hear the passing of Ziaur Rahman at just 50. I saw him play in India for so many years, and in 2022 I played in the same team as him in the Bangladesh League. He was always very friendly and cheerful during the team meetings. I hope his soul rests in peace.

Pentala Harikrishna: I was shocked when I came across the news. We met at various events and he was always friendly, cheerful, and had good advice. It was wonderful to see Zia and his son participating at the Chess Olympiad! The chess world will miss him a lot and my sincere condolences to Zia's Family. May his soul rest in peace.

Humpy Koneru: I am shocked to hear this news. I have played with him in my younger days and have seen in most of the Indian open tournaments. He is a very gentle and soft-natured person. My heartfelt condolence for the loss to his family.

Krishnan Sasikiran: It is very sad to hear this news. I have played a lot of interesting games against Ziaur Rahman. What stood out was his fighting spirit with either colour. One of our first games was a Chigorin Defence. He was one of the most original players and wanted to create irrational positions in which both players have to solve problems over the board. Clearly the chess world has lost a creative player and my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Read more messages by top players on ChessBase India...

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• GM Ziaur Rahman from Bangladesh dies during game
• Blind chess school is surprise winner in Bangladesh