Niaz Murshed

For other people of the same name, see Niaz Morshed (disambiguation).

Niaz Murshed (also "Morshed") (Bangla: নিয়াজ মোরশেদ) (born May 13, 1966) is a renowned chess player from Bangladesh. He is the first Grandmaster to emerge from South Asia.

Early life

Niaz Murshed was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh to Manzur Murshed and Najma Ahmed. Murshed developed a keen interest in chess at a very young age, when he picked up the game from his older brother. He became enamored with chess, and his talents flourished. Murshed grew up at an area (Eskaton) where chess was very popular. His neighbor was Jamilur Rahman, who later became a national champion himself. These favorable conditions may have contributed to the young Murshed's devotion to chess. Murshed passed his Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C.) exam in 1983 from St. Joseph High School and Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C.) exam in 1985 from Dhaka College.

Domestic chess career

Murshed, as a nine year old, entered the preliminary rounds of the national chess championship. Although he failed to qualify, he left a lasting impression on all present. By the time Murshed was 12 years old, he was considered one of the top players in Bangladesh. In 1978, he finished first in the national championship with two others, but ultimately placed third on a tie-breaker. He went on to win the next four national championships (in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982).^[1]

International chess career

In 1979, Murshed played in his first international competition at Kolkata, India. In 1981, Murshed tied for first in the Asian Junior Championship, held in Dhaka, but was counted second on tiebreak since he had fewer wins (and losses) than Ricardo de Guzman (Philippines) who was awarded the title and automatic IM. He also placed second in the zonal tournament, held in Sharjah, UAE the same year, earning his International Master Title in the process. Murshed participated in the 1982 World Junior Championship, and although he failed to replicate his recent success, his game against Lars Schandorff of Denmark (later a Grand Master) was selected as the best game of the tournament. He played for Bangladesh in the Chess Olympiads of 1984, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2002 and 2004.^[2]

Murshed earned his first Grandmaster norm in 1984 due to his success in Bela Crkva Open, Yugoslavia (1983), Oakham School Youth Tournament (ahead of Nigel Short and Maxim Dlugy), Novag Commonwealth Chess Tournament 1984, Hong Kong 1984. He earned his second grandmaster norm in 1986, thanks to his solid performance in Capstain International Tournament, Dhaka (1985) and Calcutta Grandmasters Tournament, Calcutta (1986). In 1987, FIDE awarded him the Grandmaster title, making him the first GM in South Asia.

Hiatus and return

After earning his GM title, Murshed went to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States to study economics. He played in only a handful tournament during this time. Upon earning his bachelors degree, Murshed returned to chess. However, his playing declined when he found it hard to adapt to the new generation of information driven chess. Nonetheless, he still found success from time to time in the international scene: first in the Goodric, India (1991), second in the GM Tournament, Cebu, Philippines (1992), third in the Doha Chess Festival, Qatar (1993), T-1st place with two other contestants in the zonal tournament (1993), and finally, T-2nd place in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in 2004.

Style of play

Niaz Murshed plays primarily positional chess. He builds up small advantages, ultimately leading to a victory.

References

1. ^ Campeonato Bangladesh ajedrez
2. ^ OlimpBase Men's Chess Olympiads Niaz Murshed

External links

• FIDE rating card for Niaz Murshed
• Niaz Murshed player profile at ChessGames.com

Persondata
Name	Murshed, Niaz
Alternative names
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Date of birth	May 13, 1966
Place of birth
Date of death
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