Form is temporary, class is permanent. In the world of chess, Farhan Abdullah Miah is known as the ‘classmaster’. KhelboBD got an exclusive interview with the rising star about the state of Chess in Bangladesh and what can be achieved in order for chess to become a thriving sport in this nation. As Farhan Abdullah was out of Dhaka during the initial date of interview, this was conducted through Gmail.

Ilman Islam: Farhan Abdullah welcome to KhelboBD. Thank you for giving us the time through Gmail.

Farhan Abdullah: I hope you are doing well. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, I will gladly respond to your questions.

II: Lets begin then. What is your greatest experience in tournaments?

FA: My greatest experience in a chess tournament was with the community. In Bangladesh, chess is not a very popular sport. Meeting with like-minded individuals sparked my journey in chess allowing me to eventually gain a Fide rating and win runners up in a team chess tournament.

II: Who gave you the inspiration to begin your chess career?

FA: The school chess club piqued my interest. There I met people who taught me the game of chess. It appealed to my analytical side. Later on I learned about chess tournaments and chess ranking. Watching games from famous grandmasters such as Gary Kasparov and Magnus Karlsen sparked a fire in me to pursue chess.

II: Very well, moving onwards. Who influenced you to begin participating in chess tournaments?

FA: My friends, family and teachers influenced me to begin competing on a professional level. They convinced me to participate in tournaments after teaching me the basics of chess and helping me understand the game deeper. From there on, through individual practice, I gained the skills I needed and achieved a Fide rating.

II: What are the resources that players require to support and develop their craft and expertise?

FA: Resources that players need are in the form of books and online teaching platforms. Chess requires constant practice and exploration, which is helped by books and YouTube videos found online. Chess.com is an amazing site that I use to practice and play chess online whenever I find the time. This site allows players to play chess online and also analyze their games. Sites such as Chess.com are very important in the development of skills for a chess player.

II: What qualifications does an individual require in order to begin competing?

FA: An individual does not need any qualifications. They can sign-up to local tournaments at any time they want. There are restrictions to higher level chess tournaments which require certain rating ranges and titles to participate in, but for a beginner, Fide certified beginner tournaments and local tournaments in Bangladesh are very easy to join. Simply contacting the Bangladesh Chess Federation will give an individual access to chess tournaments.

II: What must be recommended in order to promote chess in Bangladesh?

FA: In order to promote chess in Bangladesh, publicity is required. News channels can publish wins and development of youth Bangladesh chess talents to promote others to engage in chess. Personally, I feel that chess is highly overlooked in Bangladesh, and promotion through media is what I believe to be the perfect way to promote chess growth in Bangladesh.

II: Lastly, What advice would you give to aspiring chess players? How can they follow your path in achieving success?

FA: The greatest advice I would give to any aspiring chess player is to learn how to navigate the middle game of chess before learning the openings. This advice helped me improve my chess skills greatly as all chess games are determined by what happens in the central pivotal points of the game rather than the start and end. The best way to do this would be to learn about different chess theories, such as sacrifices, forks and more. These moves are fundamental to chess and working on these fundamentals will improve any chess player.