Sitting on the couch of his living room, Niaz Murshed talks about the underwhelming management of the chess federation, his quest in business and words for the new generation in the second segment of the three-part interview.
Why did it take 15 years for a new grandmaster to emerge after you?
Ziaur Rahman became grandmaster after me. He could have achieved the title a little earlier. He was unlucky. He lost many games at the end.
Even now, we are in a gap of 15 years without a grandmaster, the reason is the same. When players need to play more, they do not get opportunities. The first thing to do to improve ratings in chess is to compete in quality competitions regularly. We didn’t get enough chances.
Was it more of a personal effort that you exceled in chess?
Most of the international successes of our country also came because of the efforts of respective individuals. There were far fewer opportunities than what exists now. I was sitting idle in 1980. There was no competition. I used the few opportunities I got to become grandmaster.
How do you summarise the condition of chess in five decades?
Not only chess, the story is almost same in other sports. The situation can be compared to a garden. When you plant a tree, the sapling looks good at first. Then say there is a lack of care. Either you don't water the roots, or you don't water the leaves. Something like that. That’s it – the job is not complete. Another thing is when you do less, many bad elements will creep in. Many people have come to chess for monetary profit. This happened right after I became grandmaster.
Years ago, seeing five grandmasters and three international masters, the CEO of World Chess said Bangladesh were at risk of falling behind…
Not a risk anymore. It has already fallen behind. It has not happened in a day but over a long period of time. There are many problems. There is a lack of patronage. When you don't take care of a tree, someone else may come and spoil it. It is not easy to get out of this situation.
Is the federation responsible?
Not solely the federation's responsibility. When you don't pay attention, various elements enter here. Some came here to feed their own interests. Some have tried to serve their ego. Some created groups to divide the federation. Some did politics. There is a lack of accountability that brought a lot of nonsense here. This is not only the case of chess, but other sports too.
What can be done to amend the situation?
A lot has to be done. The current situation is not normal. Chess has to be built from scratch again. One of the issues is money. The entire sports field needs money. If you don't make the mistakes from the past, you can move forward a little. When money came to the federation it was not used properly. When a young player is in good form, he needs to be sent abroad for a few years so that he can play tournaments as he pleases and become grandmaster quickly. Alas, if only there is a federation that would consider these things. They are busy with the small stuff.
Did you always want to be a chess player?
I wanted to continue studies and become good at something else. But it was not the right decision in retrospect. It would have been better if I had chosen only chess. I gave importance to the academic path which I should not have done. Being an undergraduate is not the matter here. I was good at chess. I was doing well after graduation. In 1990-92, I was in superb form. My rating had increased a lot after playing in Europe. When I came back in 1993, I was in good shape. I applied to take part in good tournaments. The NSC (national sports council) did not respond. Federation didn’t land me money. They asked me to spend the money I earn by playing. I replied that if I do so, how can I stay financially solvent? Seeing all these things, I thought - if I continue chess and do nothing else, I might get into financial trouble. At that time, there was a lack of money in chess. Then I thought I have to do something else. Then I started the real estate business. I entered there fully from 1996. I did not play any tournament for six years, except for one annually. There was success in business initially and then it was unsustainable due to market collapse. I left real estate and returned to chess.
Do you recall fondly any chess memories?
When I started chess, there was a national camp. We used to stay in the federation, there was food and drink, everyone was gossiping, practicing, playing - I miss those days a lot. Now it's completely different. I remember the tournaments of my youth very much, especially those times while playing around Europe. I was young. I've seen new places. I don’t find such excitement nowadays.
An advice for the new generation?
If you want to be better than what I have done, then you must become a grandmaster much faster. I became grandmaster at 20, which is no longer considered special globally. We want world-class chess players. I hope Bangladesh's grandmasters will be among the top 10, 20 in the world. Therefore, we have to produce grandmasters at younger age. There is no room for wasting time.
