How chess is finding new life in Bangladeshi youth

"Check and mate" is the catchy line of the winner. The king of the opponent is blocked in all ways to move, and there is no alternative move to save the king. That's the last move in a chess game.

Chess is a mind-navigating game. Strategy, creativity and patience are the key deploys of this board game.

The history of this game is very ancient. However, it is one of the games developing in the Indian Subcontinent, spreading to the Middle East and all around the world. It was called Chaturanga in the Indian subcontinent before it developed, 1500 years ago.

Muslim conquerors adopted chess after the Arab invasion, and Persia played a significant role in spreading its popularity throughout the Middle East. And the name was Shatranj. Later, it gained popularity in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy.

The modern form of the board game was developed around 1500 CE. The first official World Chess Championship was held in 1886.

The forward leap was the establishment of the World Chess Federation. Today, we can play the game on computers or on automated devices, such as mobile phones.

The first computer-based chess program was developed in the 1970s. In the mid-1990s, online chess was developed using software applications, enabling people to play chess with each other over an internet connection.

Even though chess originated in India, it gained its modern form of recognition in Europe. German Adolf Anderssen was one of the first chess Masters in the 1850s, as modern chess was forming. Prague-born William Steinitz was the first official World chess Champion. In 2024, the last World Chess Championship was won by Indian Gukesh Dommaraju.

In Bangladesh, the national-level chess championship started in 1974, and a Women's Championship has been held since 1979.

Rani Hamid is a very popular and often a winner of the Bangladeshi Women's Chess Championship, as well as international titles. She is the first Women's International Master in national chess play.

In 2022, Anjum Noshin won the title of Bangladeshi Women's Chess Championship. Thereafter, Manon Reja Neer won the title of International Master in 2024. In March 2025, Wadifa Ahmed won the title of Women's International Master, as the 4th Bangladeshi to earn it.

People of all ages can play this board game. There are more strategic calculations than time-consuming input in this game. Two players are opponents of each other. The game can end in a draw.

In recent months, the youth of Bangladesh have been showing fresh energy in the world of chess through a surge of university-based and online tournaments.

For example, the team from Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) captured the team championship at the 9th National Chess Carnival held in April 2025, representing 16 universities across the country.

At the University of Dhaka, students took centre-stage in the "Winter chess Festival" in January 2025, organised by the DU Chess Club to mark its 38th anniversary.

Also in the Inter-University Chess Championship 2023, held at the Bangladesh Chess Federation, DU emerged as the champion in a field of twelve universities, signalling strong campus interest in the mind sport.

At Brac U, the Brac U Spring Chess Festival 2025 brought together approximately 180 participants from multiple institutions.

Additionally, Brac U Chess Club members won the Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman Memorial Rapid Rating Chess Tournament in January 2025, defeating nearly 300 players, including FIDE-titled competitors.

These developments reflect more than hobbyist play-students are committing to strategy, training and competition, whether on-site or online, showing that Bangladesh's next wave of chess talent might well emerge from its campuses.

Tahmid Hossain, a student of class 12, shared his enthusiasm regarding this game, "I always play this game in my free time online or offline. I liked this game since I was a kid. I play it with my cousins and aunts when I get to see them at family gatherings".

Tahmid feels an efficient amount of joy after winning a match. He used to play it with his elder sister when they weren't busy with their studies, just as he does nowadays.

"I learnt to play this from my aunts and my father. I couldn't used to win this game with my father when I was younger. The excitement and patience I have to feel while playing this game is self-fulfilling," He added. But can we lead in this game in the global chess arena? Do we have the resources? The young lad believes, "I think we as a nation can evolve in this game too, as we have potential. Anyway, our country has won many national and international titles. Hopefully, it will come to a moment when we will be a part of the World Chess Championship too. I am personally looking forward to it."

Chess is a mind-wrecking board game that exhausts our brains. It is very convenient, as it incurs very few expenses. We often see it at casual gatherings in schools, colleges, and universities. People enjoy this game who can practice patience and creativity through it game.

Fatema Jannat, a Government School Teacher, was concluding that "Chess is an entertaining game. I love this game, it's one board and one sitting, without any hassle to play. I think our country is evolving into a way to achieve success and become a global face in this game since we have seen some recent successes of our chess players around the world."

Interestingly, chess is very allocated in our culture.

We can see the game being played by humans as the playing pieces in some fantasy franchises, such as Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone.

Historically, in the Mughal Empire, humans were used as Shatranj pieces in a chess-inspired game played on a board made of concrete. A fun fact is that this game relies less on luck or fate and more on strategy and calculations.

Our chess players like Rani Hamid, Niaz Murshed, and Wadifa Ahmed can make our country's name bright in the future as the chess pieces keep going forward to save the king and win the game. Anjum Noshin won the 43rd National Women's chess Championship on 31 October. She implied that she wants to be a Grand Master and play the World chess Championship. She is a current undergraduate student at the University of Dhaka.

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