Indian players will return to the board at Bangladesh Premier Chess League
8 GMs and 6 IMs will end their over a yearlong drought of playing over-the-board chess tournaments as they start their campaign tomorrow for their respective teams in SAIF POWERTEC Premier Division Chess League at Bangladesh's capital Dhaka city. It will be a round robin team championship between eleven teams. The winner will receive Tk 125000, runner-up will earn Tk 75000 and second runner-up will get Tk 50000. There are board prizes also for each boards. The tournament is organized Bangladesh Chess Federation. Photo: Bangladesh Chess Federation
SAIF POWERTEC Premier Division Chess League starts tomorrow
Bangladesh Chess Federation organizes various national and international level rating events throughout the year. Apart from that, they organize three league tournaments every year. They are - Premier division chess league, First division chess league and Second division chess league. From 19th March 2021, SAIF POWERTEC Premier Division Chess League 2021 will start. It will be a Round-Robin tournament among eleven teams.
The Press Conference of the Mujib Hundred Years SAIF POWERTEC Premier Division Chess League 2021, under the patronage of SAIF POWERTEC Limited and organized by Bangladesh Chess Federation, was held on Wednesday 17th March in the Conference-Room of NSC Tower of the National Sports Council. International Organizer Syed Shahab Uddin Shamim, General Secretary of Bangladesh Chess Federation and President of FIDE Zone 3.2 presented a written statement at the press briefing. KM Shahidullah, Vice President of Bangladesh Chess Federation, Masudur Rahman Mallick Dipu, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Chess Federation and Secretary of the Chess League Committee and the Chief Arbiter Md Haroon Or Rashid also presided the conference.
Three members of the executive committee of Bangladesh Chess Federation Md. Moniruzzaman Palash, Sheikh Md. Monirul Islam Alamgir and Sajol Mahmud, two chess league committee members Lieutenant Ramzan Ali, Secretary of Navy Sports Control Board and Mohammad Rahat Hossain, President of Uttara Central Chess Club were present at the time.
Bangladesh Police is the defending champion which features two Indian GMs - Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Raunak Sadhwani along with IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman and two GMs from Bangladesh - Ziaur Rahman and Abdullah Al Rakib.
| 10. Bangladesh Police (RtgAvg:2516 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Dr. Shoeb Reaz Alam | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | IM | Mohammad Fahad Rahman | 2307 | 2307 | BAN | 10207791 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2635 | 2635 | IND | 5002150 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | GM | Sadhwani Raunak | 2545 | 2545 | IND | 35093487 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | GM | Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib | 2463 | 2463 | BAN | 10200444 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | GM | Rahman Ziaur | 2419 | 2419 | BAN | 10200037 | 0,0 | 0 |
Runner-up of the last edition - SAIF Sporting Club will have GM Vladislav Kovalev of Belarus and the country's own GM Reefan Bin Sattar return to the team. GM Adhiban B will joining the team along with FM Mehdi Hasan Parag, FM Mohammed Abdul Malek and CM Ahmed Mahtabuddin.
| 2. SAIF Sporting Club (RtgAvg:2480 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Chowdhury Mahmuda Hoque | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | GM | Adhiban B. | 2659 | 2659 | IND | 5018471 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | GM | Kovalev Vladislav | 2648 | 2648 | BLR | 13504398 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | GM | Reefat Bin-Sattar | 2409 | 2409 | BAN | 10200207 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | FM | Mehdi Hasan Parag | 2204 | 2204 | BAN | 10201203 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | FM | Mohammed Abdul Malek | 2134 | 2134 | BAN | 10201300 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 6 | CM | Ahmed Mahtabuddin | 2039 | 2039 | BAN | 10202021 | 0,0 | 0 |
Bangladesh Biman is another star studded featuring three GMs - Gukesh D, Neelotpal Das and Enamul Hossain. The remaining three players are also titled - FM Md. Taibur Rahman, FM Rezaul Haque and CM Chanchal Kumer Ghosh.
| 7. Bangladesh Biman (RtgAvg:2407 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Enamul Hossain | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | GM | Gukesh D | 2563 | 2563 | IND | 46616543 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | GM | Neelotpal Das | 2425 | 2425 | IND | 5003512 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | GM | Hossain Enamul | 2426 | 2426 | BAN | 10200649 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | FM | Rahman Md. Taibur | 2215 | 2215 | BAN | 10200622 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | CM | Ghosh Chanchal Kumer | 2061 | 2061 | BAN | 10201858 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 6 | FM | Haque Rezaul | 2002 | 2002 | BAN | 10200061 | 0,0 | 0 |
Shahin Chess Club will have two GMs in their lineup and both of them are Indian - Abhimanyu Puranik and Narayanan S L. FM Debaraj Chatterjee and CM Sohel Chowdhury are the other titled players in the team.
| 8. Shahin Chess Club (RtgAvg:2394 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Md Badrul Alam | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | CM | Chowdhury Sohel | 2149 | 2149 | BAN | 10201114 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | GM | Puranik Abhimanyu | 2584 | 2584 | IND | 5061245 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | GM | Narayanan.S.L | 2618 | 2618 | IND | 5058422 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | FM | Chatterjee Debaraj | 2223 | 2223 | BAN | 10201130 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | Islam Mohammad Aminul | 2078 | 2078 | BAN | 10200967 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Alam Badrul | 1794 | 1794 | BAN | 10201386 | 0,0 | 0 | |
Second Runner-up of the previous edition - Uttara Central Chess Club will feature Indian IMs - Mitrabha Guha and Koustav Chatterjee making debuts for the team. They will join Bangladesh's youngsters CM Zia Tahsin Tajwar and CM Manon Reja Neer.
| 5. Uttara Central Chess Club (RtgAvg:2278 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Md Monjur Alam | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | Alam Md. Monjur | 1853 | 1853 | BAN | 10200606 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 2 | CM | Zia Tahsin Tajwar | 2092 | 2092 | BAN | 10211888 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | IM | Mitrabha Guha | 2445 | 2445 | IND | 5057000 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | IM | Koustav Chatterjee | 2431 | 2431 | IND | 25073060 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | CM | Manon Reja Neer | 2143 | 2143 | BAN | 10224009 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 6 | Md.Abu Hanif | 2008 | 2008 | BAN | 10200835 | 0,0 | 0 | |
GM Arjun Erigaisi and IM Dhulipalla Bala Chandra Prasad will debut for Titas Club Chess Team. They will join Bangladesh's FM Md. Saif Uddin and CM Ikramul Haq Siam.
| 6. Titas Club Chess Team (RtgAvg:2273 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | Jabed Al Azad | 2002 | 2002 | BAN | 10230238 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 2 | GM | Erigaisi Arjun | 2559 | 2559 | IND | 35009192 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | IM | Dhulipalla Bala Chandra Prasad | 2441 | 2441 | IND | 25005812 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | FM | Uddin Md. Saif | 1855 | 1855 | BAN | 10201424 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | Md. Masum Hossain | 2054 | 2054 | BAN | 10203133 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 6 | CM | Ikramul Haq Siam | 2037 | 2037 | BAN | 10202595 | 0,0 | 0 |
Bangladesh Navy is the all Bangladesh team which means players are only from Bangladesh who will be taking part in this event. IMs Abu Sufian Shakil and Mohammad Minhaz Uddin will be the spearheads for the team. They are supported by three FMs - Subrota Biswas, Sheikh Nasir Ahmed and Aminul Kandaker Islam.
| 9. Bangladesh Navy (RtgAvg:2249 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Sheikh Nasir Ahmed | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | IM | Abu Sufian Shakil | 2244 | 2244 | BAN | 10200916 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | IM | Mohammad Minhaz Uddin | 2295 | 2295 | BAN | 10201955 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | FM | Ahmed Sheikh Nasir | 2193 | 2193 | BAN | 10200525 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | FM | Islam Khandaker Aminul | 2174 | 2174 | BAN | 10200975 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | FM | Subrota Biswas | 2262 | 2262 | BAN | 10216200 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 6 | Md. Sagor | 2005 | 2005 | BAN | 10206299 | 0,0 | 0 | |
IM Aronyak Ghosh will represent Leonin Chess Club along with Bangladesh's CM Md. Shawket Bin Osman Shaon. Subhayan Kundu is the only other Indian in the team who is on the verge of knocking on the IM-norm and rating barrier's door.
| 4. Leonin Chess Club (RtgAvg:2158 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Gulam Sarwar | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | Shahnaz Mohammad Faruque | 1831 | 1831 | BAN | 10203206 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 2 | IM | Aronyak Ghosh | 2436 | 2436 | IND | 25072846 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | Subhayan Kundu | 2305 | 2305 | IND | 5094801 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 4 | CM | Md. Shawket Bin Osman Shaon | 1982 | 1982 | BAN | 10216340 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | Asif Mahmud | 1907 | 1907 | BAN | 10221425 | 0,0 | 0 | |
Sheikh Russel Chess Club has Bangladesh's legendary woman WIM Rani Hamid and no.3 woman of the country WIM Sultana Sharmin Shirin in the team. They are joined by CM Nayem Haque. Kaustuv Kundu and Sumit Kumar will be the Indians who would want to make their mark.
| 3. Sheikh Russel Chess Club (RtgAvg:2135 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Showkat Hossain Pollab | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | WIM | Hamid Rani | 1923 | 1923 | BAN | 10200096 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 2 | CM | Nayem Haque | 2040 | 2040 | BAN | 10217754 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | Sumit Kumar | 2196 | 2196 | IND | 5054010 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Kaustuv Kundu | 2301 | 2301 | IND | 5056900 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 5 | WIM | Sultana Sharmin Shirin | 2002 | 2002 | BAN | 10204482 | 0,0 | 0 |
Janata Bank Officer Welfare Society is the only team with one titled player FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman. Ashutosh Kumar and young kid Sanket Chakravarty are the only two Indians in this team.
| 1. Janata Bank Officer Welfare Society (RtgAvg:2090 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Md Raushan Alam | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | Hasan Md Emam | 2058 | 2058 | BAN | 10201556 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 2 | FM | Rahman Syed Mahfuzur | 2158 | 2158 | BAN | 10200738 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 3 | Ashutosh Kumar | 1975 | 1975 | IND | 5018714 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Sanket Chakravarty | 2106 | 2106 | IND | 25032038 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Mihir Lal Das | 1964 | 1964 | BAN | 10206477 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Islam Aminul | 2036 | 2036 | BAN | 10202048 | 0,0 | 0 | |
Sonali Bank Sports & Recreation Club will see the participation of two Indian veteran IMs who will bring a wealth of experience with them - Anup Deshmukh and Chandra Sekhar Sahu.
| 11. Sonali Bank Sports & Recreation Club (RtgAvg:2082 / TB1: 1 / TB2: 0) Captain: Md morshedul Islam | ||||||||
| Bo. | Name | Rtg | RtgI | FED | FideID | Games | Rp | |
| 1 | Sabya Sachi | 1874 | 1874 | BAN | 10204032 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Md. Matiur Rahman (Mamun) | 1979 | 1979 | BAN | 10210121 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 3 | IM | Sahu Sekhar Chandra | 2049 | 2049 | IND | 5000157 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 4 | IM | Deshmukh Anup | 2190 | 2190 | IND | 5000564 | 0,0 | 0 |
| 5 | Bose Protul Chandra | 2094 | 2094 | BAN | 10202455 | 0,0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Dewan Shahidul Amin | 1996 | 1996 | BAN | 10201084 | 0,0 | 0 | |
There is one round every day starting at 3 p.m. BST (2:30 p.m. IST) from 19th to 28th March 2021. On 29th March the final round starts at 2 p.m. BST (1:30 p.m. IST). A total of 63 players including 13 GMs, 9 IMs, 2 WIMs, 10 FMs and 8 CMs are slated to take part. A staggering 66.67% players are titled, 20.6% are GMs and 14.3% are IMs.
