Rani Hamid, a name synonymous with women’s chess in Bangladesh, has a long career marked with triumphs and accolades. Her journey in chess has inspired generations and made her a national icon. With multiple national and international championships, she has proven that societal limitations cannot hold back true talent. This article sheds light on the life, career, and legacy of Rani Hamid, one of the most prominent female chess players in the history of Bangladesh. Early Life and Introduction to Chess Born as Saiyeda Jasimunnesa Khatun on July 14, 1944, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Rani Hamid's early life was influenced by her father's passion for sports, especially chess. Her father, Saiyed Momtaz Ali, a police officer, often played chess with friends, sparking her interest in the game.  Although her family moved frequently due to her father’s job, her passion for chess remained constant. Rani completed her primary education at Nandankanan Girls’ High School in Chattogram. Despite the restrictions of the time, which limited girls' participation in sports and education, Rani managed to balance both. After completing her education at Eden College, Dhaka, she found an encouraging partner, her husband, Lieutenant Colonel MA Hamid, an athlete and sports organizer. Read More: Top Bangladeshi Golf Players of All Time International Acclaim and Recognition Rani Hamid did not stop at national glory; she also made her mark on the international stage. In 1981, she participated in the first Asian Women’s Chess Championship in Hyderabad, India, where she gained international recognition. She became the first Bangladeshi woman to win the title of Woman International Master (WIM) in 1985. Rani’s success in the international circuit continued when she participated in the British Women’s Chess Championship, winning the title three times (in 1983, 1985, and 1989). Her dominance in this tournament was such that foreign players were eventually barred from competing in the British National Championship. Triumphs and Honors Rani Hamid’s chess career is studded with prestigious titles and awards. Hamid won the national title for six consecutive years from 1979 to 1984, totaling 19 times throughout her career.  She won the Commonwealth Chess Gold Medal in 2017, and the Zonal Championship in 2018. Her contributions to chess were recognized in 1985 when she received the Bangladesh National Sports Award, one of the country’s highest honors in sports. Recognizing her contribution as a renowned Bangladeshi chess player, the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA) conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2016. In 2018, she was awarded the Journalists' Choice Award during the Chess World Cup in Russia. This accolade was a testament to her enduring prowess and contribution to the sport.  She continues to dominate the women’s chess scene in Bangladesh and has become a symbol of excellence and perseverance.  Read The most famous Bangladeshi female athletes of all time Victory at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest In an inspiring display of resilience and chess mastery, 80-year-old Rani Hamid led the Bangladeshi women’s team to a resounding victory at the 45th Chess Olympiad, held in Budapest, Hungary in 2024. Competing against Barbados, Rani triumphed over her opponent, Springer Leshay, contributing to her team's overwhelming 3.5-0.5 win. Her victory came as part of a stellar team performance, with Women FIDE Masters Noshin Anjum and Wadifa Ahmed also securing wins against their Barbadian counterparts, Wilson Hannah and Reifer-Belle Chanon. Woman Candidate Master Nusrat Jahan Alo drew her match against WCM Blackman Katrina, completing the team’s dominant performance. This victory not only highlighted Rani Hamid’s enduring excellence in chess but also served as a testament to her leadership and ability to inspire younger players. Leading a new generation of Bangladeshi chess talent, she remains a formidable force on the international stage, defying age and expectations with each passing tournament. Read more: Top Bangladeshi Chess Players of All Time Conclusion Rani Hamid’s journey from a curious child watching her father play chess to becoming a national icon is a testament to her talent, determination, and resilience. She not only broke barriers for women in chess; but also brought international recognition to Bangladesh through her achievements.

Candidate Master Sakline Mostafa Sajid of Pabna District and Bangladesh Police emerged unbeaten champion in the Open Division of the Sheikh Russel 41st National Junior (Under-20) Chess Championships 2023 securing 8.5 points after the 9th and final round matches at the Bangladesh Chess Federation Hall-Room here on Sunday FM Manon Reja Neer of Bangladesh Navy finished undefeated runner-up collecting 8 points. In the Girl’s Category, WFM Wadifa Ahmed clinched the title also with unbeaten record securing 8.5 points at the end of 9th and last round matches on Sunday. WCM Warsia Khusbu became runner-up and WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim finished 3rd securing 7 points each. In other open category matches, Swarnavo Choudhury of Bangladesh Ansar became 3rd, WFM Noshin Anjum became 4th and FM Nayem Haque of Sirajganj became 5th with 7 points each. Mohammad Shafiqul Islam became 6th, Shadat Kibria Ayaan of Chandpur became 7th, Aiyan Rahman became 8th, Nazmul Hayat of Chittagong became 9th and Ajraf Anan became 10th with 6.5 points each. In the Girls Category, WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo of Cumilla finished 4th fourth in the girl’s category with 6.5 points. Jannatul Preety of Barisal became 5th, Israt Jahan Nishi of Cumilla became 6th, Neelava Choudhury became 7th and Ahona Dey of Cumilla became 8th with 6 points each. Sanowara Akhter of Chattogram became 9th and Saliha Binti Hafiz became 10th collecting 5.5 points each. In the day's 9th round open category matches, CM Sakline Mostafa Sajid beat Aiyan Rahman, FM Manon Reja Neer drew with Swarnavo Choudhury, Nayem Haque beat Afnan Zarif Haque and WFM Noshin Anjum beat CM Md. Sajidul Haque and Mohammad Shafiqul Islam drew with Shadat Kibria Ayaan in the open section. In the day' s girl’s category matches, WFM Wadifa Ahmed drew with Jannatul Preety, WCM Warsia Khusbu drew with Ahona Dey, WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim beat Khondakar Aneeka Mowla, WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo beat Areeba Adreeta, Israt Jahan Nishi beat Prothoma Zaman, Neelava Choudhury beat Jarin Tasnim, Sanowara Akter beat Nazia jafrin Mohona and Saliha Binti Hafiz beat Ayasa Akter. A total of 120 players took part in open category and 39 players participated in girl’s category match was held on a 9-round Swiss-league format. Roll of Honour 1979- Mansur Rahman, 1980- International Master Zillur Rahman, 1981- Farid Ahmed, 1982- S.M. Idris Ali,1983- Moniruzzaman Khan, 1984- Neamul Haque Niru,1985- Not held, 1986- Syed Ohidul Islam Riton,1987- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1988- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1989- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1990- Kh. Kayes Hasan,1991- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1992- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1993- Grandmaster Reefat Bin Sattar,1994- Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman,1995- Adnan Faisal,1996- Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib,1997- Dewan Shahidul Amin Tipu,1998- Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib,1999- Grandmaster Enamul Hossain,2000- Grandmaster Enamul Hossain,2001- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2002- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2003- Mohammad Ali,2004- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2005- FIDE Master Mehdi Hasan (Parag),2006- Golam Moshtafa Bhuiyan,2007- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2008- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2009- International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar,2010- Abdullah Al Saif,2011- Abdullah Al Saif,2012- Ikramul Haq Siam,2013- Not Held,2014- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2015- Avik Sarker,2016- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2017- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, 2018- FIDE Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman,2019-Yasir Ali Khan Evan, 2020-Not held, 2021-Not held, 2022-FIDE Master Subrota Biswas, 2023- Candidate Master Sakline Mostafa Sajid. Junior Girl- 2017- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2018- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2019- Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum, 2020- Not held, 2021-not held, 2022-Woman Candidate Master Ahmed Walijah, 2023-Woman FIDE Master Wadifa Ahmed.

Grand Master Enamul Hossain Razib of Bangladesh beat Kao Jamison Edrich of Hong Kong in the fourth round of the men's individual event of the 19th Asian Games Chess, which is now being held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou on Monday. The third and fourth round matches of men's and women's individual events were held on Monday. Beximco Xcel Boxing Championship 2.0 Fight Night: Pro Boxing returns in Dhaka In the day's other fourth-round matches, IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman of Bangladesh won against IM Markov Mikhail of Kyrgyzstan in the men's individual event, while WFM Noshin Anjum of Bangladesh won against Seo Jwon of South Korea in the women's individual event. After the day's fourth-round matches, GM Enamul Hossain Razib secured 2.5 points, IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman bagged two points, and WFM Noshin Anjum earned 2 points. Asiad Women's Football: Bangladesh suffer 2nd successive defeat going down to Vietnam 6-1 Earlier in the day's third-round matches, GM Enamul Hossain Razib defeated IM Sugar Gun Erdene of Mongolia; IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman lost to IM Bersamina Paulo of the Philippines in the men's individual; and WFM Noshin Anjum lost to WGM Gong Qianyun of Singapore in the women's individual event. Asian Games Football: Bangladesh play out goalless draw with much higher-ranked China The fifth, sixth, and seventh round matches will be played on Tuesday.

Fide Master Manon Reja Neer of Bangladesh sharing the  3rd slot in Open Division of the Tata Steel Asian Junior (U-20) Chess Championships,2023 with five other players securing 2.5 points after the 4th round matches held in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand in India on Monday. School Handball: Viqarunnisa clinches girls title, and Sunnydale boys Bangladeshi Fide Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia earned 2 points from four matches of Open Division. In the Junior Girls Group, WFM Wadifa Ahmed secured 3 points after the 4th round matches to share the 2nd position with other players Men's Asian 5s Hockey: Bangladesh taste first victory beating Japan by 10-3 goals WCM Ahmed Walijah scored 1.5 points. In the day's 4th round Open Division matches, FM Manon Reja Neer won against Baradia Yash of India, FM Tahsin Tajwar Zia lost to FM Krishnan Ritvik of India while Aiyan Rahman lost to Rupesh B Ramchandra. Virat and Rahul shine with centuries as India posts 356 against Pakistan In the Junior Girls Group, Wadifa Ahmed won against Swara Lakshmi Nair of India while  WCM Ahmed Walijah drew with Y Nischala of India. 

Bangladeshi Grand Master Ziaur Rahman and his son Fide Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia's family team emerged unbeaten champions in the family event of the 29th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday. Also read : Abu Dhabi Chess:GM Ziaur Rahman beat FM Ebrahimi Herab Hamidreza of Iran GM Ziaur Rahman's family team clinched title securing 10 points from six matches with 4 wins and 2 draws. Also read : Youth Chess Olympiad: Bangladesh team earn 8 points after 7th round matches Abucejo family team of the Philippines finished  runners- up and IWM Tejaswini Sagar family team of India became third collecting  9 points each. Also read : Abu Dhabi Chess: GM Ziaur Rahman makes good start beating Armenian IM Denielyan Vaha In all, 70 family teams, each of two players,  participated in the family event.

Candidate Master (CM) Manon Reza Neer of Dhaka Division and Nusrat Jahan Alo of Chattogram Division won gold medals in blitz chess of the Sheikh Kamal 2nd Bangladesh Youth Games 2023 Sunday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the week-long competition in the evening at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in the capital's Banani. Four thousand athletes, aged under 17, are taking part in the final round of the Games for 193 gold, 193 silver and 287 bronze medals. They qualified from district-level competitions. CM Manon scooped up the gold medal in the boys' blitz chess today; Nusrat clinched the gold medal in the girls' blitz chess. The matches were held at the Chess Federation. Read more: PM Hasina opens final phase of Sheikh Kamal Youth Games CM Manon earned 6.5 points in seven matches to clinch the title. CM Sakline Mustafa Sajid of Rajshahi Division won the silver medal after securing six points. Mohammed Saker Ullah earned the bronze medal with five points. Nusrat won the gold medal, securing seven points from as many matches. Omnia Binte Yusuf Lubaba of Chattogram bagged the silver medal while Maiesha Mahzabin Tisha earned the bronze medal. In the boys' blitz chess, 16 players, two each from eight divisions, participated in the event. Another 16 players, two players each from eight divisions, took part in the girls' blitz chess event, based on a seven-round Swiss-system tournament. After the day's competitions, Chattogram Division earned two gold, two silver and one bronze medals in chess. Dhaka Division earned two gold, one silver and one bronze medals.

Bangladeshi FM Mehdi Hasan Parag beat Azerbaijani GM Azer Mirzoev in the sixth round match of the Paytakht Cup International Chess Festival, a category A tournament, held in the Iranian capital Tehran Tuesday. Parag played with white pieces to beat Azer. After the sixth-round matches, Bangladeshi IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman remained in the third spot with five other players, securing four and a half points. He settled for a draw with Indian IM Himal Gusain in the sixth-round match. Parag bagged four points from six encounters. Read more: Chess Olympiad: Bangladesh beat stronger Czech Republic in 3rd round

The first Sheikh Russel Youth Rapid Chess Championship 2023 organised by Sheikh Russel Chess Academy under the supervision of the Bangladesh Chess Federation will start Friday at 10am. Only players aged below 20 can participate in this day-long competition at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room of the National Sports Council in Dhaka. The prize distribution ceremony of the championship will also be held on the same day in the afternoon. KM Shahidullah, secretary general of Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad and vice-president of the Bangladesh Chess Federation, will be the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony. Syed Shahab Uddin Shamim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Chess Federation and president of World Chess Federation (FIDE) Zone 3.2, will also be present. The competition will be held on a seven-round Swiss league system. The winners of this competition will get cash prize money of Tk20,000 in total. Read more: Bangabandhu 47th National Chess Championship begins on Thursday

Bangladeshi Grand Master Enamul Hossain Razib and International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman earned full two points after the 2nd round matches of the Commonwealth Chess Championship'2022, held at Waskaduwa in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.  In the 2nd round matches, GM Razib beat Saravanabaavan Brijesh of Sri Lanka while IM Fahad defeated  Marapana Sanupa Bimsath of Sri Lanka.  Read more: Sheikh Kamal Chess: 3 players share top spot A total of 94 players from seven countries including 12 Grandmasters, one Woman Grandmaster, seven International Masters and three Women International Masters are taking part in the event.  

The six-nation Sheikh Russell Cup Invitational Team Chess Championship 2022, began Thursday at the Bangladesh Chess Federation in Dhaka, marking Sheikh Russell Day. All the six zone 3.2 countries of the World Chess Federation – Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh are taking part in the invitational team chess event. Youth and Sports Secretary Mesbah Uddin officially inaugurated the six-nation meet as the chief guest. Tarafder Md Ruhul Saif, director of the competition's sponsor Saif Powertec, Syed Shahab Uddin Shamim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Chess Federation, and KM Shahidullah, vice-president of the federation, were also present. Read: Sheikh Russel Cup Invitational Team Chess starts tomorrow in capital All teams will participate in the round-robin league system. At the end of the first phase, the super league will be held with the top three teams. It will also be held in a round-robin league format. A total of $10,000 will be awarded to the winners. The champion team will receive $ 4,000, the runners-up $3,000, the third-place finishers $2,000 and the fourth-place team $1,000. In the day's first-round matches after the inauguration ceremony, Bangladesh played against Sri Lanka, Pakistan faced the Maldives, and Nepal played against Bhutan. The second round matches will start at 3pm Friday at the same venue. In the second round, Pakistan will play Bangladesh, Bhutan will face Sri Lanka and the Maldives will play Nepal.