Prominent Dutch Grandmaster Sergei Tiviakov pledged to deliver his best to improve the game of the local players after taking charge of Bangladesh national chess team yesterday. He urged to provide long-term training programme for the Bangladesh chess players adding that they also need more international experience to develop the game.
The highly rated former Dutch chess champion will coach four Bangladeshi Grandmasters and one International Master for one month ahead of the 41st Chess Olympiad in Tromsa, Norway in the first week of August.
The second ranked chess player in Netherlands, Tiviakov is currently ranked 86th worldwide among the active players with a rating of 2656. His previous visits to Bangladesh were in 1997 and 1998 to take part in international tournaments.
“I know this country, I know its chess tradition and I know the local players. So I accepted the offer,” said Tiviakov who met Bangladesh’s first GM Niaz Morshed in 1993 in India.
The federation wanted Tiviakov’s service for more than one month, but the Dutchman was only interested to work for the short period. Tiviakov, however, also admitted the training period is short and said, “One month is not enough but it is a very good step to develop the game of chess in Bangladesh. I hope it will be helpful for the players in the next Olympiad in Tromso. From my part, I will do my best to help the players improve their game and achieve better result in future.”
The Soviet Union born Dutch will coach Niaz Morshed, Ziaur Rahman, Abdullah Al Rakib, Enamul Hossain Rajib and Minhaz Uddin Ahmed Sagor.
“They (Bangladesh players) have good potential but the problem is that they don’t have international experience. They don’t play in strong tournaments and I think they are heavily underrated. If they play more against strong players their rating will grow and they will become stronger,” he added.
Tiviakov earned the GM title in 1991 and clinched the Dutch Chess Championship in 2006 and 2007 before adding the European Individual Chess Championship to his tally in 2008.