The legend of Bangladesh Chess - Ziaur Rahman (1974-2024)

Remembering Ziaur Rahman

The date was 22nd of August 2008. It was the 7th 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.

Sagar Shah (2218) vs Ziaur Rahman (2564), Malaysian Open 2008, Round 7

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. 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, I pumped my fists. It was my first ever win against a grandmaster.

The win proved as a constant motivation in my chess journey. Whenever I doubted myself, it provided me with 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.

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 5th of July 2024, the chess world got the shocking news of Ziaur Rahman passing away. He was just 50 years old. He was playing at Bangladesh National Championships 2024 and in the 12th round was up against GM Enamul Hossain.

After 25 moves the following position was reached:

Ziaur Rahman vs Enamul Hossain, Bangladesh Championships 2024, Round 12

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. An absolutely shocking news.

Ziaur Rahman - the Bangladeshi chess legend

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

Ziaur Rahman played an amazing tournament at the Kolkata GM 2014. Although he finished 6th, he managed to remain unbeaten and he stunned two 2600+ opponents - Nigel Short and Sergey Fedorchuk. Below are both of his games:

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 when 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:

Ziaur Rahman vs Niaz Murshed, Dhaka Global Aspirant, 2024

Just to show you how creative Ziaur was in his thinking, check out this move. Ziaur is winning in many ways, but he plays Bh2-g3! The idea is that if Black takes on g3, it will open up the f-file for the rook. He went on to win this game.

Homage to Ziaur Rahman

We sent an email to some of the strong players of India and the world if they could send us their memories related to Ziaur Rahman and this is what they had to say:

Boris Gelfand

Really shocking news. I played with Ziaur in first round of 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 second game he outplayed me, and I saved that game just by luck. I met Ziaur during some tournaments afterwards and it was always a pleasure to see him. Tragic loss for 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.

P. 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! Chess world will miss him a lot and my sincere condolences to Zia's Family. May his soul rest in peace.

Koneru Humpy

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 very gentle and soft natured person. My heartfelt condolence for the loss to his family.

K. 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 defense. 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.

Nihal Sarin

It was extremely shocking and sad to hear the untimely passing of GM Ziaur Rahman. I hadn't really talked with him in person, but he had contacted me for Bangladesh League 2021 which I unfortunately could not play due to inconvenient dates. A very nice and kind person who will be sorely missed. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, RIP.

Surya Ganguly

S.L. Narayanan

I was so shocked to hear about the tragic news. After my game at the Baku open when I checked the news feed I saw it had happened. He was a kind and pure hearted person who was so dedicated as a player. During my different phases of chess career I remember having played with him. He was always a difficult opponent to face. I  played with him recently at the Abu Dhabi Masters event where he played an excellent game against me and afterwards we analysed a lot blindfold and he was still showing his class in the analysis. He told me then that he prepared very well these lines and showed certain important points which shows the love and dedication he had even at that age. Also his wife I could recall whenever there were tournaments in India would come together and support him and his son who also has the potential to be the next big player from Bangladesh. I hope the family finds strength in this tough time. Heartfelt condolences.

B. Adhiban

A friendly person who always has a warm smile and I also used to like the fact that he would travel to many events with his wife and his kid, not wanting them to miss out! A great person whom I will miss. An imaginative player and wouldn't play for a draw against higher-rated. He always tried to find his own path in openings. I learnt some interesting ideas by looking at his games and approach!

Sandipan Chanda

I am deeply shocked and saddened. The news hit me hard. I have always had excellent times with him and his chess-playing family for so many years. He was a friend and an elder brother. And a very kind person who was loved and respected by many. To really write about him, just a few lines here would not justify, perhaps it needs another time and place to do that. At this point I can just say that I am concerned about the career of his young son, who himself is a talented chess player, and probably needs a little more time to establish himself as a chess professional.

G.N. Gopal

I first met Zia bhai in 2007 during the United Insurance GM tournament in Dhaka in 2007. We later stayed together in the 2010 edition of the Asian Continental. He was a very jovial person who had quite many interests apart from chess. He was an incredibly strong player and a great human being. To me he was like my big brother. I have still not fully come to terms with this news.

Harsha Bharathakoti

It was very shocking for me when I got to know the news. I played against him when I was a kid. And I personally had a very good time playing along with him during the Bangladesh league where he was the captain of our team. Definitely, the chess world especially in Bangladesh are going to miss him. My deepest condolences to his family.

Neelotpal Das

With great difficulty and a heavy heart I could write the following lines. Never ever thought that such a day could come. I am yet to digest the terrible news and hence unable to express my feeling through any formal condolence message. This loss, I believe, is irreparable to Zia bhai's family, friends, colleagues, chess fraternity of Bangladesh and the entire Chess community of the world. It is possible to write a long article about his fantastic chess career, but in my eyes he will always remain as a person who was very friendly, kind and polite with everyone and extremely down to earth despite his remarkable achievements and of course very passionate about the game of chess. He was a regular participant in many Indian tournaments and therefore, I had the honor of playing, analyzing, chatting with him on various occasions and travelling to tournaments along with his family. It will not be easy to accept the hard reality of life, but I hope his son Tahsin will carry forward the legacy from now onwards. I pray to God that his family gets the strength to cope with this sudden shock and the struggles ahead in life. Zia bhai, wherever you are, you will remain in the hearts of all of us forever.

Sriram Jha

I knew Zia bhai for almost 30 years. I met him for the first time in 1996 at the Commonwealth Championships in Kolkata. He has always come across as a gentle and humble human being. Very soft spoken and mild mannered. It is unbelievable for me that he is no more. Especially because I had played with him in Bangladesh in the closed GM round robin tournament just 2 months ago and he defeated me there. The fact that he passed away while playing chess - I am left in utter shock. Zia bhai was the top player of Bangladesh for so many years with a peak rating of 2570. To come from Bangladesh that did not have a chess culture and stay at the top for so many years, is truly commendable. It will be very difficult for Bangladesh chess to replace such a great player and a great human being.

I would like to talk a bit about his chess style - with white he was a complete monster. You could never guess the kind of position you would get against him with the black pieces because he was a complete original player with white. He never opened with 1.e4, but he did open with 1.c4, 1.Nf3, or 1.d4. He loved original chess! With black against 1.d4, he would play the Slav Defence and take the pawn on c4 and then try to save it. While preparing against him 2 months ago, I had the white pieces, and I had a hard time finding a good line against his opening. Off the board he was a complete gentleman. A suggestion he gave me 2 months ago was to play in Titled Tuesdays online. He mentioned that if I have to fight against the youngsters of today I have to play in these online events. A great loss to chess and a great loss to humanity.

Diptayan Ghosh

The news of Zia Sir passing away was really a shocking one to me. He was such a wonderful person and my trainer for a long period of time. Under his training, my play had improved a lot. He helped me not only in chess but also guided me in other different aspects of life. We often had training sessions at his place in Dhaka - Zia Sir and his wife (Labonno aunty) always made us feel at home. Sir was a regular visitor to Indian chess tournaments and very well known and respected in the Indian Chess Community. His presence at the chess board will definitely be missed!

Sayantan Das

It was shocking. Still in disbelief. He was not only an eminent chess player but also a great human being. I guess first time I saw him in Goodricke Open. That time I was a kid. My trainer took me to Alekhine Chess Club to see top grandmasters fighting each other. One day, I heard someone saying in the spectator area that, it is really one kind of impossible to beat 'Zia bhai' with black pieces. That was my first memory of him. I was under his mentorship for many years. I guess from 2010/2011 to 2014/2015 I took lessons from him. From training at Alekhine Chess Club to sharing an apartment in Europe to play tournaments, there are many memories to cherish. One suggestion of him which I guess helped me in a great way is that he asked me to concentrate on stop losing. I used to take too much risks in those days. As a player, he was known for his deep positional understanding and knowledge. He was also a fun loving guy with good values. It is really shocking that he is no more. Chess fraternity will surely miss him.

Pranav Anand

I heard the shocking news. I personally did not know him, but I had played his son many years ago at the Mumbai Mayors Cup. That's when I saw Ziaur Rahman and I felt he came across as a kind and thoughtful person. Sadly I never got the opportunity to play against him. He will surely be missed in the chess world.

Nubairshah Shaikh

Zia Sir was more than a chess coach or a mentor to me! Like a family member I would say! I was traveling in France when the news of Zia Sir passing away came across to me, I was shocked, could not believe it until I confirmed with the players playing there. It was a huge shock, a deep moment of sorrow and overall unacceptable moment for me. I first properly met Zia sir in 2017, when I got paired with him in the Commonwealth Championships 2017. It was London and the game ended in a draw and after that we started talking, analysing & discussing lots of things about Chess and Life. It was always overwhelming (in a good way) talking to him, whenever and wherever we meet! He was a gem of a person and my mentor for a long period of time. Under his guidance, my play improved a lot. I would seriously like to dedicate my two big achievements to him & i.e 1. 1st SAARC (South Asian) Championship in 2019. 2. My Final GM Norm (Feb 2024.) this is where I last met him.

He was very happy after my norm. It was him again who had invited me to play the league this year (similar story like SAARC 2019) and asked to play against all strong players to create norm chances. Only he believed that "GM Norm" has been possible in the Bangladesh Chess League for a long time. I am glad that, I fulfilled at least one of his wishes. Zia Sir was a regular visitor to Indian GM opens and very well known and respected personality all over India as well as the World. It would be difficult not to see him around but his games and contributions to the chess community will always remain. He has also helped lots of IMs & GMs from Bengal to become strong players. The Indian Chess Community will definitely miss his presence apart from the Bangladeshi players and federation. My condolences are with him and wish a speedy recovery to his son FM Tahsin and Labonno aunty and whole Bangladeshi Chess community in this difficult time. - Inna Lillahi wa inaa ilaihi Rajiwoon

A notable game of Ziaur Rahman that I would like to share is his win over Alexander Fier (2567) from the Chess Olympiad 2022.

Some of the video interviews of Ziaur Rahman on ChessBase India:

Coverage by Agadmator after Ziaur Rahman passed away

Coverage by Gothamchess after Ziaur Rahman passed away

If you have any memories of Ziaur Rahman to share with us, do write to us at chessbaseindia@gmail.com, we will add it into this article.

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