Chess Queen Rani Hamid. Photo : Collected
After passing 80, Rani Hamid is going to participate in the upcoming 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary. The Olympiad is set for September 10- 23 in this year.
Despite the struggles, indifference of male counterparts, social norms & family binding she participated at the national level for 47 years. She won the national women's championship 19 times alongside 6 consecutive wins.
Moreover, she was born in a noble aristocratic family in July(1944), in Zakiganj, Sylhet. Her given name (Sayeda Jasimunnessa Khatun), nickname Rani. She was urged to exposed involving in chess at an early age while her father used to play the game. She also secured her father's passion after being married sports organiser Lieutenant Colonel M.A Hamid.
Her husband encouraged her tremendous journey all the time and also convinced her to first ever participate in a women's chess tournament back in 1977.
However, she was also awarded by International Master (WIM) title in 1985 achieving the first feat among women in Bangladesh. Despite the national championship, she won 3 British tournaments. Rarely, she represented a country member in the men's team in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Chess Olympiad.
In fact, She becomes a luminous symbol of a potential women's chess game, everyone’s inspiration. She has been an activist in women's chess in Bangladesh for a long period. Although she also contributes in writing about chess.
Perhaps she secured the prestigious “Journalist Choice Award” in World Cup 2018, Russia for her excellence, achievements and contributions to women's chess development.
Between all sports and games chess required most mental prowess. Recently, we lost another gem country’s highest-ranked grandmaster Ziaur Rahman who died in a cardiac arrest during a game.
Messenger/Sourov/Sumon
