Bangladesh are hoping to put up their best performance than previous editions in the upcoming Chess Olympiad as a five-member men's chess team, comprising four Grandmasters, fly off for Azerbaijan on Thursday.
The 42nd edition of the Chess Olympiad is scheduled to be held in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, from September 1-14 where GMs Niaz Murshed, Enamul Hossain Razib, Ziaur Rahman and Abdullah al Rakib and International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagor will represent Bangladesh.
In contrast, the women’s team contains IMs Rani Hamid and Shamima Akter Liza and Fide Masters Shamima Sharmin, Jakia Sultana and Nazrana Khan Iva. Liza will join the team from Lisbon.
Bangladesh Chess Federation arranged a month-long preparation camp for the participants but failed to provide a foreign coach, despite promises from the newly-elected committee more than two months ago.
Bangladesh finished 33rd in the 40th Chess Olympiad in 2012 but ended 64th in the next edition two years later.
Syed Tahmidur Rahman and Yeasmin Begum won gold medals in the Greece Olympiad in 1988. Four years later in Manila, Rokshana Gulshan and Syeda Sabana Parvin won silver and bronze medal respectively while in the same Olympiad, Ziaur Rahman earned the IM norm.
In the 1998 Moscow Olympiad, Rakib acquired the IM norm while Razib achieved the GM norm in the 2002 Slovenia Olympiad. All three later became GMs.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
