School chess back again

The thirteenth edition of the School Chess Tournament gets underway today at the lounge of the National Sports Council (NSC) Tower as Standard Chartered Bank returns as sponsor after a two-year gap.
Some 200 school students, including three from India and two from Nepal, are expected to take part in the tournament which is being sponsored by the Standard Chartered Bank. The bank had been with this competition since 1999, but pulled out in 2011 citing lack of transparency of the then ad-hoc committee. However, now that an elected committee is in place, Standard Chartered decided to return as sponsor.
The country missed out on getting some promising players in the absence of the tournament in the last two years. But this time the federation is hopeful that the tournament will once again produce quality players, as it did in the past.
Current national women's champion Sharmin Sultana Shirin and WIM Shamima Akter Liza are direct products of the Standard Chartered School Chess Tournament as took part in the first edition of Standard Chartered School Chess in 1999 from Bibi Mariam School.
Apart from these two, International Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar, national junior champion Ikramul Haque Siam, former junior champion Abdullah Al Saif, Asian School U-9 champion Mohammad Fahad Rahman also came through this competition.
“At Standard Chartered, we believe that chess has a bright future in Bangladesh. Playing Chess tournaments from an early age will have a long-lasting positive influence on our youngsters and will help develop their intellectual capabilities,” said Bitopi Das, head of corporate affairs, Standard Chartered, at a press conference at the NSC Tower conference room yesterday.
Bangladesh Chess Federation's vice president AKM Shahabuddin, general secretary Gazi Shaiyful Tareq, joint secretary Morsalin Ahmed and Shamim Khan were among others present on the occasion.