Bangladesh’s top chess grandmaster Ziaur Rahman dies mid-match

Bangladesh’s top-ranked chess grandmaster Ziaur Rahman died on Friday at the age of 50 after suffering a stroke and collapsing on his board in the middle of a national championship match, an official said.

Bangladesh Chess Federation general secretary Shahab Uddin Shamim told AFP that Ziaur collapsed during his 12th round match of the championship against fellow grandmaster Enamul Hossain before he was declared dead at a hospital in the capital Dhaka.

“Players and officials present in the hall room took him to the hospital quickly after he collapsed. Upon reaching there, doctors said he had already died,” Shamim said.

Enamul said it took them a few seconds to realise that he had suffered a massive stroke.

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“When he was playing, it never felt like he was sick,” said Enamul.

“It was my move. So, when he was falling down, I thought he was leaning down to pick up a water bottle. But then he collapsed, and we rushed him to the hospital. His son was playing at the next table”.

Ziaur is the highest ranked of Bangladesh’s five chess grandmasters.

He won the national championship multiple times and represented Bangladesh in the 44th Chess Olympiad in India in 2022.