The saying that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is so much actualized by Assam’s long-distance runner Abdul Barek. In his case, the ‘necessity’ was the money he desperately needed to buy food and books after his family farmlands were washed away by the mighty Brahmaputra.
“It was not out of love for a particular sport… I was born and brought up in a self-sufficient family in a rural hamlet in the Kamrup district. However, when our farmlands were eroded by the Brahmaputra, we were left with nothing for sustenance. The little produce from our livestock was not enough for the family. I was in standard IX when for the first time I participated in a Rongali Bihu Marathon in a nearby locality and came first in it to win prize money of Rs 1,000. Well, that was a lot of money for me! I could buy my school uniform and books with it.
“Now that I’ve discovered a way of earning and my family was in a very bad financial shape, I have started looking to every marathon event as a means to earn. I participated in every known event and would look for all the prize money up for grabs. Gradually, I developed a yearning for winning all possible cash prizes in marathons in Assam and the Northeast. And, for that, I started practicing regularly and improving my performance with each run,” Barek told Awaz-the Voice.
Abdul Barek (second from left) with fellow sportspersons from Railways
Barek craved newer heights in the no-cost sport. Having bagged scores of medals and trophies at state and national levels, his campaign culminated in the World Railways Athletics Meet at Denmark in 2005 where he emerged 10th in the individual event and third in the team event of the marathon championship. He is the first-ever sprinter from NF Railway to participate and win a medal in World Railways Meet.
“My success lies in my perseverance. I’ve never compromised with my practice. My job with NF Railway has helped me a lot because I don’t have to forgo practice due to household work as I did in the past … I would like to thank former international athlete Tayabun Nisha for suggesting my name to the Indian Railways which promotes sports. I had also appeared in interviews with Central Excise and Indian Army,” Barek explained.
On his success, Barek said: “Practice, rest, and nutrition are the key to performance. There was hardly any infrastructure during our times. But, after the 2007 National Games, we’ve got a whole lot of infrastructure and necessary facilities including coaches. However, the problem now is that our young players have lost interest in sports. The smartphone and fast food have spoiled a generation. Most of the youngsters nowadays munch on fast food, and keep themselves glued to their mobile phones when they should be at the playground.”
Abdul Barek in the international Railways sports meet
Regarding his food habits, Barek is a follower of cricketer MS Dhoni; both love to drink milk as an energy booster. “I used to drink a lot of milk. My father used to tell us to drink milk instead of water and that I used to do. I don’t like fast food and I’ve always preferred vegetables with our staple rice.” Barek also lamented that the urban youth were reluctant to do hard work. “Since I am based out of Guwahati and I am associated with an athletic academy, I always wanted to groom some good athletes. But, what pains me is that the rural youths can’t sustain long-term coaching and urban youths are reluctant to do hard work. A few very talented youngsters from Baihata Chariali and Morigaon were training under me for some time. But, they could not sustain the tough regime and left. One basic requirement of a marathon runner to be successful is to run at least 200 km a week which is divided into a scientifically designed schedule.”
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by Imtiaz Ahmed, Guwahati / May 04th, 2022
He said he has rostered himself for this work on Saturdays and Sundays.
The deaths due to COVID are rising but that has not scared the powerlifter.
Azmat has transported more than 15 bodies and performed the last rites.
There is so much confusion and fear around the COVID-19 pandemic and it has reached a point where even family members are afraid and reluctant to accept the bodies of those dying of the infection and give them a proper burial.
In the past few months, we have heard any number of stories where bodies of COVID-19 victims were disrespected by families and civic authorities due to the stigma around it.
BCCL
But, in Bengaluru, a man doing his bit by ensuring that COVID-19 victimsare given a proper burial.
42-year-old Mohammed Azmat doesn’t look like an average man for five feet and eight inches – he looks like a mountain of a man!
That is because he is a champion powerlifter, who set a record with a deadlift of 295 kg in an international powerlifting championship two years ago
PTI
But these days, the programme manager in DXC Technology, an IT firm is spending much of his time carrying bodies of COVID-19 victims and giving them proper last rites.
He said he has rostered himself for this work on Saturdays and Sundays.
PTI
“I was part of the drive for relief work during the lockdown and when I saw people dying in huge numbers in July, I decided to associate myself with the Mercy Mission,” Azmat told PTI.
The challenge those at Mercy Mission face is that the last rites is a time-consuming process, right from the procedures involved at the hospital and at burial grounds.
Besides, volunteers also have to confront protests, which further delays the procedure.
PTI
The deaths due to COVID are rising but that has not scared the powerlifter.
“Death is certain, so there is no need to be bothered much about it. But I do take the utmost precautions, which is multi-layered because I too have a family,” Azmat said.
Speaking about his experience, the champion powerlifter said “The pain I experience while carrying the body of someone who has died due to coronavirus can’t be explained.”
PTI
Since he joined two co-workers to carry the senior man to the Christian burial ground, Azmat has transported more than 15 bodies and performed the last rites.
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / India Times / Home> News> India / by Bobins Abraham / July 29th, 2020
Becoming the youngest female lifter wasn’t an easy task but Maryam Mohammed’s focus helped her achieve it
Maryam Mohammed lifting weight during the tournament
Bengaluru:
Among the many champions who participated in the event, it was 13-year-old Maryam Mohammed who became the youngest female lifter to set a deadlift record in the Push-Pull Championship. Sports establishment Professional Raw organised the first championship at Onyx Fitness which Mohammed was a part of. There were over 300 athletes from across the country who registered themselves for the event.
It’s not the first win for the young lifter either. Speaking to CE, she says, “It’s the fourth competition that I have won so far. I started powerlifting two and half years ago, when the pandemic started and schools went online.” Her father, Mohammed Azmat, who is a powerlifter himself, has been doing it for over three decades now. “He’s my biggest inspiration. He’s the one who trains me and my younger brother has also started participating in competitions now,” Mohammed says.
She spends her weekdays on school work and uses her weekends to train. The basement of their home has been converted into a gym set-up which has helped her practice more. “I know there are many strong people out there but all I do is focus on the bar and just lift it. There’s nothing else to do,” she says, adding that her younger brother is more focused, something she is working on.
While Mohammed is hoping to get better and win more awards, her father encourages another strategy. “Medals can always be achieved but if they grow up without character, it won’t be of any use,” he says, pointing out that Mohammed always grew up watching him practice in their home set-up. “After she was born, my wife needed my help at home. So, I set up a gym to spend more time at home. Maryam grew up watching me lift weights and when she was finally ready, she showed interest,” he explains.
He adds that neither of the children was ‘forced’ into following in their father’s footsteps. “Seeing them be happy with what they want to do is what I encourage them to follow. They were never forced to follow my footsteps but it’s definitely an icing on top for them to have shown interest,” Azmat says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Anila Kurian, Express News Service / April 18th, 2022
By the time Mohammed Javed participated in his first Ironman competition, he was already 53 – an age when most people have begun making retirement plans.
But, for Javed, now a lithe 62, the Ironman competition in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in March 2015, marked the beginning of a new life: one that took him on globe-trotting adventures around the world as he participated in more such challenges in France, Germany and Malaysia, among others.
“These are all ‘finisher’ medals,” he told the GDN proudly, pointing to an array of medals he brandished in one hand. “They are given to every athlete that participates in these competitions, regardless of which position they finish in.”
Given the tough nature of the Ironman Triathlon, which requires a 3.8km swim, a 180.2km bicycle ride and a marathon 42.2km run to be completed in under 17 hours, Javed had every reason to beam as he did.
“Even though it was my first Ironman,” he said, referring to the Port Elizabeth event, “I completed it in just over 14 hours and came seventh in my age category. I was extremely happy to just be able to participate in it and to complete it in the time that I managed was the icing on the cake, especially after the really taxing swim in the very rough sea.”
He repeated the feat in Malaysia, almost mirroring the time he managed in South Africa and actually bettered that in the next Ironman he registered for, which was in Nice, France.
Outperform
“It was just by a few minutes and still just over 14 hours,” Javed laughed. “But, as every athlete will tell you, when you compete in such events, you’re not just competing with others, you’re also trying to outperform your previous attempt and trying to improve on it. So I was really happy about that.”
As someone who is essentially only a part-time athlete juggling a full-time job with his passion for running, Javed explained, he approached every competition with the clear understanding that winning was never an option – and that, just the thrill of being able to participate would have to do.
“There’s no way that someone like me, who works 12-14 hours and only gets a couple of hours to train every day, could hope to compete with elite, professional athletes, who are able to devote every day of the year to their training,” he added.
“But, again, I am so happy and blessed that I have been able to participate in these competitions, rub shoulders with those athletes, watch how they go about their business and learn and apply that to my own preparation.
“It’s all due to the very generous support I have been given by my benefactors who have sponsored me and enabled my participation in these events. I am especially grateful to the late Shaikh Ebrahim bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, who was the chairman of Bahrain Road Runners for over a decade, and the very generous Fouad Hussain Showaiter. Both these gentlemen went out of their way to financially support my participation in all these international events.”
The biggest blessing, Javed said, as he looked back on the 40 years he has spent in Bahrain since arriving here as a 22-year-old from Karnataka, India, in 1982, is the opportunity he’s had to grow and flourish as an athlete.
When he first landed in Bahrain, he worked initially as a labourer before a leading construction company hired him as a heavy machinery operator. Then, in 1989, he applied to a leading hotel and was hired in housekeeping and soon made the transition to bell captain.
And then, came the first of many lucky breaks. “The hotel used to have inter-department sports competitions,” Javed said. “I took part in one – a 3km race – and I finished it in 9 minutes 27 seconds. That was it – the trajectory of my life changed from then on.”
The hotel’s general manager was so impressed by his performance that he decided to encourage Javed by granting him access to the health club and swimming pool – usually only allowed to hotel guests and top management.
“I was always a good sportsman – in fact, I was, and still am, a good cricketer too,” Javed explained. “And, suddenly, my athletic ability had a chance to be nurtured and prosper. So I really focused on long-distance running after that. I had run sprints – 100m, 200m – in school, but this was a different ball-game altogether.”
He started participating in every long-distance race that took place in the kingdom, thereafter, and eventually ended up becoming a member of the Bahrain Road Runners, a group that focuses on long-distance running and cross-country races.
“I never missed a single race,” Javed exclaimed, proudly. “Triathlons, biathlons, duathlons, aquathlons … you name it, I participated in it! And I won most of them!”
Now, though, despite the fact that he is still running competitively – he just took part in a Half Ironman event in Dubai in March – Javed is grappling with a difficult decision.
“The last few years have been a bit tough, professionally,” he said, contemplating his medals which he had spread out on a table. “Especially after Covid-19 and now, while I do have a job with a food delivery company, I’ve decided to go back to India next month.”
Then, he perked up again.
“While it would be nice to go back to my village and live a quiet life,” he grinned, “I know I won’t be able to run competitively again. And so, just when I thought I’d made up my mind definitively about moving back, I received a call just today from one of my benefactors who urged me to consider staying back so that I could compete in more competitions. So, maybe, I’ll do that instead!”
source: http://www.gdnonline.com / GDN Online, Gulf Daily News / Home> Other Sports / by Adnan Sipra / April 16th, 2022
Umran Malik, the young pace sensation from Jammu and Kashmir, has done it again.
The 22-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer on Tuesday set the internet on fire by sending a 150-kmph delivery in the first over of his team’s IPL 2022 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here.
And this is not the first time that the express pacer has clocked the 150-kmph on the speed gun in the IPL.
In the second leg of the IPL played in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malik sent down a 153-kmph thunderbolt, the fastest delivery in IPL history, and had both his skipper Kane Williamson and the then India captain Virat Kohli gushing over the new speed demon of Indian cricket.
After seeing his ability to bowl with lightning speed, SRH gambled and retained him as their third player ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
On Tuesday, that gamble seems to have paid as Malik was their best bowler against Rajasthan Royals, taking two wickets in his four overs spell giving away 39 runs.
Every time he jumps on the popping crease, he outdoes his pace. With his express pace, Malik got the wickets of Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal.
The instant stardom, that he achieved in UAE last year and enhanced on Tuesday, is just a byproduct of his confidence that made him believe that he could make it to the India team at a very young age.
When he was 18, he wrote in his bio on his social media handle, “India Soon”. The pacer, whose father Abdul Rashid is a fruit-seller in Shaheedi Chowk in Jammu, was confident enough to predict that one day he will make it to the national side. His dedication and perseverance paved the way into his state’s Under-19 squad.
A good performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition helped him make it to the Sunrisers Hyderabad team as a net bowler.
Malik was roped in as a short-term Covid-19 replacement for T Natarajan, who had tested positive for Covid virus ahead of Hyderabad’s encounter against Delhi Capitals on September 22, 2021. After that, Malik’s fortunes completely changed.
Malik, who was part of the Hyderabad contingent as a net bowler, has played eight T20 and one List A match for Jammu Kashmir and has picked a total of four wickets.
Hailing from a modest family in Jammu’s Gujjar Nagar, Malik began playing at a young age. His family has always supported his passion with his father, his mother and two older sisters always there for him.
In the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL, Malik went a step further by bowling the second-fastest delivery of IPL — a 152.95kph thunderbolt that stunned everyone.
At the post-match presentation, RCB’s then skipper Virat Kohli spoke in support of the youngster, “Whenever you see talent like this, you are going to have your eyes on them and make sure you maximise their potential.” “I really felt proud on seeing such a big player talking about me,” Malik had said after the match.
His exploits resulted in him being asked to be part of the Indian senior team’s net bowlers for the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
By clocking 150-kmph again on Tuesday, Malik has proved that his exploits last year were not a flash in the pan. He has it in him to consistently hit the 150-mark on the speed gun.
Now he has to build on this brilliant start to fulfill his dream of making it to the Indian team.
–IANS
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Sports / by IANS / Pune, March 29th, 2022
Sadia Tariq who won a gold Medal in the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship received a warm welcome from family and friends who reached Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Saturday.
Speaking to ANI, Tariq shared her happiness and thanked her family and coach for supporting her.
“My eyes were in tears when I won the gold medal. If this happened today it is only because of my coach and family. I want to thank my coach who was there supporting me all the time,” she said.
Maimoona Tariq, mother of Sadia said her daughter was passionate about this since she was in the third standard, today she made all of us proud.
“I am proud of my daughter, she made us proud. She was always engaged in this game since the third standard. I want other children to participate in the game also and made their parents proud,” she added.
Masood Rather, Joint Secretary of Srinagar Wushu Association said “we all are very proud of Sadia. She performed very well in Wushu Stars Championship. Sadia already won two gold in national, it is her third gold medal.”
“As far as talking about Wushu, it is very popular in Jammu and Kashmir,” he further added.
Earlier in the last week of February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sadia Tariq on winning a gold medal in the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship, which is being held from February 22 to 28.
Sadia won the gold medal in Wushu Championship in Moscow by defeating a local player. Moscow Wushu Stars Championship is the approved event in the Annual Calendar Training and Competition of the Sports Authority of India. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> India / by ANI / March 06th, 2022
He will help organise the 44th International Chess Olympiad from July 28 to August 10
The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday appointed Darez Ahamed, Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, as Officer on Special Duty for conducting the 44 th International Chess Olympiad from July 28 to August 10.
As per rules, sanction is granted for creation of a temporary post of Officer on Special Duty, Chess Olympiad, in the Office of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu in the Super Time Scale of IAS for a period of six months, a Government Order issued by Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu said.
Dr. Ahamed, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Special Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department, will be placed in full additional charge for the post of Officer on Special Duty.
He will assist the Committee for Organising Chennai Olympiad (COCO) Society with respect to the Olympiad and undertake necessary activities in coordination with the Principal Secretary, Youth Welfare and Sports Development, and Member Secretary, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Ahamed will also be ex-Officio member of the COCO Society and also Member Secretary of its Executive Sub Committee.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – April 09th, 2022
Mumtaz Khan of India Women’s team in action against Wales during Junior Hockey WC (Image: HI)
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) April 4 (ANI):
India stunned Germany in the Junior World Cup Hockey pool match after doughty Mumtaz Khan’s powerful drag-flick sent the ball crashing into the nets to send the girls in blue in frenzied celebrations while joys of her mother, Qaiser Jahan, who sells vegetables in Lucknow, knew no bounds.
Mumtaz Khan, 19, is now India’s new hockey sensation, taking her team to the top league while her dribble and powerplay with her stick awing the opponents.
Lucknow, the city of Nawabs and also hockey-lovers, is showering love and appreciation on Mumtaz’s family, which ekes out a livelihood as vegetable vendor.
With the hockey stick, Mumtaz Khan is not only shattering India’s powerful opponents, but also the age-old patriarchal taboos. Her mother is jubilant that Mumtaz Khan, one of her six daughters, has given a resounding slap to all those who taunted her in the past for having only daughters.
“People often made remarks that I only have daughters. Mumtaz has made us proud, and broke the social stigmas,” said Qaiser Jahan, while speaking to ANI at her vegetable shop in Lucknow.
My daughter is equal to 100 sons, said Qaiser Jahan.
While Qaiser Jahan managers to earn Rs 300 daily, she went beyond her means to support Mumtaz Khan pursue her dreams to wear the blue jersey and represent India on astroturf.
The financial strain proved insufficient for Mumtaz Khan to fly with the girls in blue to South Africa to play for the country.
Mumtaz Khan along with other under-19 Indian girls in blue is taking the team to newer heights, with a quarter-final berth sealed. Besides beating the formidable Germany by converting the penalty shoot, Mumtaz Khan had also taken India to an unassailable lead with a 3-1 scoreline with a brilliant field goal in the 41st minute against Wales in the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup at Potchefstroom in South Africa. India finally won the match 5-1.
Her father Hafiz Khan, a vegetable vendor, has all been supportive of Mumtaz Khan’s passion for hockey.
Mumtaz Khan’s journey as a hockey player began when she went to Agra to participate in a race and was spotted by Neelam Siddiqui who trained her at KD Singh Babu Stadium’s Sports Hostel.
“I feel very proud that my daughter is playing for the country. We are getting a lot of respect because of her,” said Mumtaz’s mother.
“I feel proud that my sister is an international hockey player. Despite poverty, our parents have raised us to make us capable to do something for ourselves,” said Farha Khan, Mumtaz’s sister. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> India / by ANI / April 04th, 2022
Jushna Shahin’s passion for the sport made her achieve the unthinkable.
Jushna at the conference room Spain. | Picture by arrangement
Kerala :
Jushna Shahin’s earliest memories are of watching football matches on TV with her family in Kerala’s Mangattuparamb village.
As a die-hard Lionel Messi fan, Shahin got her chance to do her bit for the game in 2009 when she was selected as one among the 70 students in JNU for the language assistant program in Spain by the Ministry of Education, Spain. “In our village, girls rarely went outside of their homes, other than going to school etc,” Shahin, a teaching assistant and football reporter in Spain, told TwoCircles.net. “Girls going out to play was out of the question, and that put an end to my dream of playing the sport.”
The Kendriya Vidyalaya high school where she studied encouraged sports, but Shahin was not comfortable with the usual sports uniform of shorts and t-shirt.
This did not keep the girl away from football. “I spent my time learning about the sport, and its laws and rules,” she said.
Love for Spanish and Messi Shahin said she wanted to study Spanish when she was in 10th grade so that she could talk to Messi.“I don’t know if it will materialize or not but I will make efforts,” she said.
In 2019 when she got her first salary working in Spain, Shain bought tickets for the UEFA Champions League in Barcelona to see her sports hero play live. “It was unreal and amazing,” she said.
The following day, she went over to the Barcelona club’s office and handed over a hand- letter meant for Messi, hoping that he would reply one day.
Jushna Shahin on a visit to a Vine Cathedral with her students at the IES Santa Isabel de Hungria, Spain. | Picture by arrangement
Last year when Messi moved to the Paris Saint Germain (PSJ) football club in France, Shahin flew to Paris and witnessed the team getting trained. “My heart-throbbing moment was when I watched Messi getting trained,” she said.
While in 11th grade, Shahin attended a camp organized by students of central universities to help those interested to pursue studies outside Kerala. Contacts she made from the camp helped her for the entrance exams. “Even after I cleared the exams, my parents were not convinced about pursuing Spanish as a graduation course. However, they gave in to my wishes,” she said.
In September 2019, Shahin traveled to Spain on her first international trip.
After landing in Spain she found that the Spanish she had learned from textbooks was not the same as spoken by people in Spain. “It was a challenge. Also, the other Indian student’s who had been selected were all placed in different cities of Spain. To travel to a new country was exciting but I felt tense and insecure initially,” she said.
Love for sports writing In 2014, when Shahin was at JNU, she started writing journalistic pieces for the Companion magazine. She would write short reports about the matches she watched. Her interest in sports writing led her to report for The Footy Times , which is an online magazine devoted to publishing football journalism. She started reporting for the magazine during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and has been writing for it since. She has also reported for Malayalam news channel MediaOne and online news website MaktoobMedia.
Shahin recalled two events as the most exciting during her work as a football reporter. In 2021 when the stadiums were closed to the public amid a global pandemic, she was one of the few media persons with accreditation pass reporting the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey in Spain. “I was seven months pregnant at the time,” she said
In February 2022, she got accreditation from the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Football Club to report the UEFA Champions League round 16 in Paris. She also attended a press conference at the home stadium of PSG club where hers was one among the ten questions asked to Karim Benzema (Real Madrid captain). “Now that stadiums are open for the public, I don’t think I will get the chance to go in with the media persons alone to watch a match in a closed stadium. That makes my reporting during the last year very special,” Shahin said.
Jushna with her husband Awad and daughter Eva. | Picture by arrangement
Having been called crazy for her dreams and passion, Shahin shrugs it off and said, “What’s important and special for you might be very silly for the other person. It’s better not to see and look at your dreams in other people’s frameworks. Create your own dream and respect it, and be confident. Instead of just dreaming it, try to work on it. The only thing that matters is whether you are happy with it or not,” she added.
Shahin’s parents had seen her love for football only as a childhood interest and never knew she would pursue a career related to the game.
“More than her craze for football through Messi, I am happy that she is in the field of football journalism,” said her father CKA Jabbar, veteran journalist and associate editor of Malayalam news portal kvartha.com. “Love for football and writing have been in her since childhood, and she worked hard to follow her dream,” said her mother, Nazila CH, working in the Animal Husbandry Department under the Government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram.
Shahin now lives with her husband, Awad Ahmad, and eight 8-months-old daughter in the city of Vigo in north-western Spain.
Najiya O is a freelance journalist based in Calicut, Kerala. She tweets at @najiyao
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Najiya O, TwoCircles.net / March 26th, 2022
Rafiq was felicitated by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation with this trophy after he won the National A Championship in 1978
He was the son of a carpenter and had no formal education. He himself became a carpenter to ensure that his daily needs are satisfied. Something about the game of chess attracted him and began playing it actively. Thank God, that he chose chess, because this impoverished, illiterate carpenter from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, went on to become one of the finest chess players that India has ever seen. This is the story of Mohamed Rafiq Khan, former national champion of India and the first Olympiad chess medalist for our country. Rafiq Khan passed away at the age of 73 years on 19th of July 2019. With this article we would like to go back in the memory lane and explore the legacy left behind by this great personality. We not only bring you Rafiq Khan’s life story and best game analysis but also messages and anecdotes from his friends, colleagues and contemporaries. A heartfelt eulogy.
The Reincarnation of Sultan Khan
Do you know what is the significance of this medal?
The above medal is India’s first medal at a Chess Olympiad. And do you know the man who won it? It was Mohamed Rafiq Khan, playing for the third board of the Indian team at the Malta Olympiad in 1980.
The man who won India’s first medal at a chess Olympiad – Rafiq Khan from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Rafiq Khan’s father was a carpenter by profession and the family living in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh suffered from poverty and lack of resources. Born on 12th July 1946, Rafiq had no real formal education. He never went to a school. In order to make his ends meet, he started working with his father as his assistant. After putting in hours of carpentry work, he would often get tired and go to his favourite tea stall for a cup of tea. That’s where he would see people playing chess with each other. He was intrigued by the game and decided to learn it. In spite of his hectic schedule, he made a promise to himself that he would play an hour of chess each day before going to bed. It was in this way that Rafiq Khan made his modest beginnings in the royal game. Mind you, what Rafique learnt was the desi form of chess, also called Indian chess, where the pawn would move only one square at a time (not two on the first move like in international chess), a pawn could not be promoted to any piece on the last rank and so on!
Rafiq’s career in international chess (non desi form of chess that we use today) started when he first took part in the Madhya Pradesh chess championship held during April 1975. He surprised all by winning the championship ahead of Syed Nawab Ali (who represented India in the Varna Olympiad), Rajesh Bahadur, Radhe Shyam Gupta, all National ‘A’ players. He then went on to qualify for National ‘A’ by securing second place behind Raja Ravisekhar at the 13th National ‘B’ held at Patna during June 1975. He shot into prominence by his stupendous performance in the 14th National ‘B’ held in Calcutta during June 1976. There he scored 11 wins and 9 of them were back to back! Once he sat on the first board, he remained there until the end conceding only four draws and winning the championship with massive 13 points! This record is still intact and no one has dominated an event like National B, like Rafiq Khan did in 1976.
Rafique Khan’s certificate after he created a big flutter in Indian chess by winning the National B Championships with a score of 13.0/15.
Says GM Pravin Thipsay, “Rafiq Khan’s result at the 1976 National B Championships stunned the chess fraternity at that time. We were all amused to know about him through the stories we heard from the Mumbai players who returned dumbfounded after the “B”. I then learn that he had been a “desi” player (rules of desi chess are different from international chess. For eg. the pawn moves only one square forward instead of two) for a few years before and had learned the rules of International chess hardly six months before the “B”. Even during the said “B”, Rafiq was reluctant to move pawns two squares and invariably began the game with strange pieces and pawns configuration resulting from starting moves ……e6, d6, g6, Bg7, Ne7, 0-0 followed by ……b6,Bb7,Nd7 etc. Despite this, he not only defended his position well in every game but even went on to exploit the overextended and weakened position of his adversaries to gain material.”
It’s amazing how in spite of being just a desi chess player, Rafiq Khan managed to dominate the National B championships with a score of 13.0/15
India’s top player at that point in 1976 was Manuel Aaron. Aaron had already won the national title for a record five times until then. What did he think of Rafiq Khan’s 13.0/15 achievement? “In 1976, Rafiq Khan surprisingly won the National “B” Championship in Calcutta and Indian chess looked at him in awe as he finished ahead of almost all the best chess players of India. His rivals were proficient and experienced in modern chess theory which was denied to Rafiq because of his lack of English knowledge, yet he won. I was already aware of his good reputation when I first met him at the 1976 National “A” in Calcutta. But he was a big disappointment to me as he had a few gaps in his understanding of the middle-game, especially the handling of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bishops. Naturally, he didn’t do well in the “A” at Calcutta. But by the time the next National “A” came in Cochin, he was a transformed player, his middle-game had improved dramatically and he took the title on tie-break from V.Ravikumar who became an IM two years later. Clearly, Rafiq was of IM calibre.”
All the big names of Indian chess participated in the National A championships in 1978 and Rafique Khan came out on top with 12.5/19 | Source: Indian Chess History
Rajesh Bahadur, who was Rafiq’s good friend and also a statemate said, “Rafique Khan became National Champion by winning 17th National ‘A’ held at Cochin during Feb’1978. Though he was in outstanding form throughout this tournament, his encounter with Ravisekhar was the most intriguing. The striking feature of this game was that playing with Black pieces, he dragged Ravisekhar’s King from the security of first rank and brought it right up to the last rank to deliver mate, reminiscent of Ed Lasker – Sir George Thomas encounter.”
A carpenter by profession, came on the Indian chess scene, and defeated the best in the business to become the National Champion! A look back at how the national championships were played back in the day!
In spite of winning the national title and being one of the strongest chess players in the country, Rafiq Khan’s pangs with financial instability continued. Chess was not going to make his ends meet. At that time there was hardly any money in the sport. Although he was working in the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, the salary wasn’t sufficient for him to focus adequately on his chess career. During this time, an English magazine ‘Onlooker’ did a detailed story on Khan’s achievements and the negligence of government towards him. This story reached the then Industry Minister George Fernandes. Seeing his plight Fernandes wrote a letter to Rafique. Here’s what he said.
George Fernandes’ letter to Rafique Khan making sure that he gets a better livelihood by giving him a job in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Employment in BHEL gave Rafiq Khan’s chess career a much needed boost. He focused on his game and the next breakthrough in his career came during the Malta Olympiad, 1980. Rafiq’s individual silver medal on board three was a big boost not just for him personally but for the entire Indian chess fraternity. Suddenly everyone began to believe that even Indians could not just compete, but even win against the best in the world. Says Thipsay, “An individual medal at the Olympiad going to a Non-European was something no one could even dream of and yet Rafiq achieved it!” Manuel Aaron, who was Rafiq’s team mate at the event, said, “After a gap of many years, the Indian Government sponsored the Indian Men’s team to the Malta Olympiad in 1980. Till then only the Indian Women’s team which comprised solely, or mainly, of the Khadilkar sisters were sponsored. The Government had denied support to the Men’s team till Malta, 1980, as they claimed it was ‘weak’ or sub-standard. Rafiq scored 10/13 to take the silver medal for the second best performance on board three to rubbish the long-held belief of the Government that Indian men are not strong enough for International chess. It was amazing that a Bhopal carpenter won a medal at the Olympiad! Single-handedly, Rafiq had raised the popularity of chess in Madhya Pradesh.”
Rafiq Khan was given a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Bhopal after he won the silver medal at the Olympiad in Malta 1980 Rafiq’s achievement made everyone believe that “Nothing was impossible!”
Rafiq Khan continued playing chess after 1980 as well. He was the best performer in the Indian team at the Lucerne Olympiad in 1982. He subsequently won the prestigious Piloo Modi tournament thrice in 1984, 1986 and 1992. His other victories include a tournament in Sehore, P.N. Mehta Memorial tournament in 1990 in Nashik, KU Achla Mudgal tournament in 1994 in Agra. Rafiq Khan loved chess and continued playing it until his last breath. According to Kapil Saxena, Secretary of MPSCA, Rafiq was playing chess on 18th July, until midnight, at Bhopal Chess Club. To the big surprise of everybody, he died of a heart attack the next day at 2:30 pm. He is survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters.
Chess was Rafiq Khan’s first and true love until his very last breathe! Rafiq Khan’s bio dataRafiq Khan’s bio data (continued)
Rafique Khan the chess player
After analyzing many of Rafiq Khan’s games over the last few days I have come to the conclusion that Rafiq Khan liked to play positional chess. He liked to fianchetto his king’s bishop with white after opening with 1.d4. It was not like Rafiq tried to stay away from complications. When the position demanded them, he would go for it whole heartedly. His black repertoire was much more aggressive than his white openings. With white he liked to keep a steady opening edge. When it came to endgames he was simply brilliant. Check out his endgame against a young Dibyendu Barua, where Rafiq manages to magically convert a drawish looking rook endgame into a winning one.
The Endgame maestro
When I was going through many of Rafiq Khan’s games, this one caught my attention. Mainly because the endgame looked drawish and yet Rafiq managed to convert it and secondly his opponent was the very talented youngster and the future GM of India Dibyendu Barua.
Rafiq, Khan Mhd. – D., Barua1-0 Annotations : Sagar Shah
This endgame should be drawn. but it is interesting to see how Rafiq Khan manages to put quite a bit of pressure on Barua! 40.♖b5b641.h5! Fixing the kingside pawns. ♔f742.♔f4♔e643.b4♖b344.♖e5+ The rook makes way for the pawn to come to b5. ♔f645.♖f5+♔e646.b5 If you look at the position carefully, you realize that the rook on f5 controls the pawn on b5 and h5 and also f3. So it is ideally located. But the next question is how to make progress? ♖b147.♖e5+♔f648.♖d5♔e649.♖e5+♔f650.♖f5+♔e651.♔g3 Notice how Rafiq Khan repeated the moves to wear down his opponent before making some progress. This is high class technique. ♖b352.♔g4♖b253.♔f4♖b154.♔e3♖b3+55.♔d4♖b4+56.♔d3♖b3+57.♔c4♖b158.f4 White makes some progress. But as long as the white king cannot enter, nothing much can be done. ♖c1+59.♔d3♖d1+60.♔e2♖h161.♖e5+♔f662.♔e3♖b163.♖d5♖e1+64.♔f3♖f1+65.♔g3♖g1+66.♔f2♖b167.♖f5+♔e668.♖e5+♔f669.♔e3♖b470.♖d5♖b3+71.♔d4♖b4+72.♔d3♖b173.♖f5+♔e674.♖e5+♔f675.♔d4♖b4+?75… ♖d1+ The question is wht didn’t Barua give this check to stop Kd5. 76. ♔c4 The point is that the white rook can now move in with Re8 because any black active rook move is met with Kd5. So in effect Barua should not have landed in this position.75… ♔f7!?76.♔d5! That’s why Kf7 was stronger because now Rxb5+ doesnt work due to Kd6. ♖a476… ♖xb5+ 77. ♔d6 ♖xe577… ♖b1 78. ♖f5# is a pretty mate.78. fxe5++−77.♖e6+♔f778.♖c6♖a579.♖c7+♔g880.♔c6 Magically White has got everything that he wanted! ♖a481.e5♖xf482.e6♔f883.♖xa7♖e484.♖f7+♔g885.♔d5♖e186.♖f5
Tremendous Endgame technique by Rafiq Khan. 1-0
The Malta Olympiad, 1980
The defining tournament of Rafiq Khan’s chess career. Rafiq scored 10.0/13 with nine wins, two draws and two losses. We have chosen three of his games here. The first one is against IM Steen Feder of Denmark. This game shows how White can keep control in the fianchetto variation of the King’s Indian and use his extra space to put Black under pressure.
1.d4♘f62.c4g63.g3♗g74.♗g2O-O5.♘f3d66.O-O♘bd77.♘c3e58.♕c2♖e89.♖d1c610.e4exd411.♘xd4♕b612.h3a512… ♘xe4 13. ♘xe4 ♗xd4 14. ♘xd6±13.♗e3♕c714.♖d2! A quiet little move to double the rooks down the d-file. ♘c515.♘b3♘e616.♖ad1♗f817.♘a4♘d718.f4 Rafiq Khan was just too strong in such positional structures. He would press the life out of his opponents. b619.♗f2♖b820.♕c3♖b721.♔h2♕b822.♕f3♖c723.♘c3♘dc524.♘d4♘xd425.♗xd4f5 The position for Black was already bad. Now with … f5 it only gets worse. 26.e5♘e627.exd6♗xd628.♗xb628. ♗f6 ♗f8 29. ♗e5+−28…♕xb629.♖xd6♕xb230.♖b1♕a331.♖xc6♗b732.♖xb7♖xb733.♕d5 The position is roughly around even. ♖be7?!33… ♕xc3 34. ♖xe6 ♖xe6 35. ♕xe6+ ♖f7 36. ♗d5 ♕c2+ 37. ♔h1 ♕b1+34.♘b5! ♕e335.♘c7♖xc736.♖xc7♔h836… g5! would have given Black good saving chances.37.♖b7♘c538.♖b538. ♕f7 ♘xb7 39. ♕f6+ ♔g8 40. ♗d5++−38…♘e439.♖b3♕a7?! 40.♕c6
Perhaps Fedder resigned a bit too soon, but the position is quite bad in any case. 1-0
Against his Lebanese opponent Tony Abouchaaya, Rafiq was the better player. This game shows us how two minor pieces are more powerful than the rook and pawns when we are still in the middlegame and also how a queen and knight can combine together to launch a deadly attack against an opponent’s king.
Khan, Mohamed Rafiq – Abouchaaya, Tony1-0 Olympiad-24 1980.11.20 Annotations: Sagar Shah
1.d4♘f62.♘f3g63.g3♗g74.♗g2O-O5.O-Od56.c4dxc47.♘a3c38.bxc3c59.♕b3♘c610.♖d1♘a511.♕b5♗d712.♕b2♗a413.♖e1♖c814.e4cxd415.cxd4♕c716.♗d2♘c617.♖ac1a618.♘c4♗b519.a4♗xc420.♖xc4♕d721.♕b6♘g422.h3♘xd423.♖xd4♗xd424.♘xd4♘e525.♗e3♘c426.♕b4♘xe327.♖xe3♖c1+28.♔h2♖a129.♘e2♖xa4 We join the position at this point where the position looks unclear. White has the two pieces for the rook, but Black has two additional queenside pawns. 30.♕b3b5?!30… a5 31. ♘c3 ♖b4 32. ♕a3 e6 was a better way to play even though it meant giving up the a5 pawn. 33. ♕xa5 ♖b2∞31.♘c3! ♖a131… ♖c4 32. ♘d5⩲32.♕b2♖a533.♘d5 In a matter of couple of moves White has now got a completely dominating position! ♖e834.♕d2! The queen and the knight and the rook are going to combine well for a final attack on the black king. ♕d835.♖d3e636.♘e3♕b637.♘g4! ♖c838.♖d6♕c539.♕h6♕c340.e5 Black is murdered on the dark squares! A nice show of how two minor pieces are always much more useful than a rook in a middlegame and also how a queen and knight can be used as potent attackers. 1-0
IM Franz Hoelzl of Austria is a strong player. But Rafiq launched an imaginative attack against his opponent’s king. Quite noteworthy in this game is how the rook lifts itself from the back rank to checkmate black’s king.
Khan, Mohamed Rafiq – Hoelzl, Franz 2415 1-0 Olympiad-24 1980.11.20 Annotations: Sagar Shah
1.d4♘f62.♘f3g63.g3c54.♗g2♗g75.O-O Rafiq Khan stays true to his style. He likes to play openings where he can control the centre, and fianchetto his king’s bishop and castle quickly. O-O6.c4♘c67.d5♘a58.♘a38. ♘fd2!? In order to develop you b1 knight to the normal c3 square.8…d69.♖e1♖b810.e4a611.♕e2♘e811… ♗d7 12. e5±11… e6!?∞12.e5 Once given the opportunity, Rafiq doesn’t hold back and is direct in his play. ♗g413.♗f4♘c714.♕d2b615.♖e4!? A very original idea of trying to swing the rook over to the kingside at some point for an attack and also doubling down the e-file.15. h3 ♗xf3 16. ♗xf3 dxe5 17. ♗xe5 ♗xe5 18. ♖xe5 ♘c6 and the knight jumps to d4.15. ♘h4!? dxe5 16. ♗xe5 ♗xe5 17. ♖xe5 ♘c6 18. ♖e3 ♘d4 19. ♘c2±15…♗f515… ♗xf3 16. ♗xf3 dxe5 17. ♗xe5 ♗xe5 18. ♖xe5 ♘c616.♖e2♘b717.♖ae1 White is now clearly better. b518.♘h418. h3!+−18…♗g419.♖e4♕c820.♗h6♗h321.♗h121. ♗xg7! ♔xg7 22. ♗xh3 ♕xh3 23. ♘xg6! fxg6 24. ♖h4+− would have been a winning attack for White.21…dxe522.♗xg7♔xg723.♖xe5e624.♖h5! Rafiq Khan was alert and spots the tactic. ♖h824… gxh5 25. ♕g5+ ♔h8 26. ♕f6+ ♔g8 27. ♖e5+−25.♕h6+♔f625… ♔g8 26. ♘xg6 fxg6 27. ♖xh3+−26.♖he526. ♘f3 ♗f5 27. ♘e5 Next up is g4 and the king should be mated in the centre of the board.26…♕f827.♕f4+♔g728.♘f328. g4!? h5 29. gxh5+−28…f629.♖5e3♕d630.♕h4♗f531.dxe631. g4!+−31…♘d832.cxb5axb533.e7♘de634.g4g535.♕g3♕xg3+36.hxg3♗xg437.♘h2♗f538.g4♗g639.♖xe6♘xe640.♖xe6 White wins two pieces for the rook and the rest is quite easy. b441.♘c4♗f742.♖e4♗d543.e8=Q♖bxe844.♖xe8♖xe845.♗xd5 1-0
Not shying away from complications
It’s easy to assume that Rafiq Khan didn’t like complications. As a person who thrived on logic, he liked to keep things under control. But when the situation demanded or when wanted to win at all costs, he would unleash his aggressive side as seen in this game against Hari Om Sharma. It is not flawless when subjected to the modern engines, but it shows how Rafiq Khan understood what was required to be done in the position.
Hari Om Sharma – Rafiq Khan0-1 A Mudgal Memorial, Agra 1994.??.?? Annotations: Sagar,Shah
After seeing many games of Rafiq Khan it is easy to believe that he was a highly positional player. However, when the situation demanded to win, he was ready to take risks, like in this game. 1.d4♘f62.c4g63.♘c3♗g74.e4d65.f3O-O6.♗e3♘c67.♕d2e58.d5♘d49.♘ge2♘xe210.♘xe2c611.g4cxd512.cxd5♗xg4! Rafiq Khan is alert and sacrifices a piece for compensation. 13.fxg4♘xe414.♕b4♕h4+15.♘g3♘xg316.♗f2 This was what White was banking on. a5! Rafiq Khan doesn’t let his initiative dissipate. 17.♕a4 Surprisingly the queen doesn’t have too many squares to go to. It must make sure that the knight cannot give a dangerous discovered attack and also that the pawn on g4 doesn’t fall because if it does then Qe4+ would lose the rook on h1.17. ♕d2 ♘xf1!−+17. ♕b3 ♕xg4 18. ♗xg3 ♕e4+−+17. ♕c4 b5 18. ♕d3 ♕xg4 19. ♗xg3 ♕b4+−+17…b517… ♕h6! Rafiq finds this idea on the next move, but here it was even more powerful. 18. ♗xg3 f5!−+ The central pawns are going to simply roll over White’s position.17… e4!? is also an interesting way to continue. 18. ♗xg3 ♕xg4∓18.♕d118. ♗xb5 should have been played. It is understandable that Hari Om Sharma didn’t want more lines to be opened up in the position but this would have been the best. e4! 19. ♗xg3 ♕xg418. ♕xb5 ♕xg4−+18…♕h6! 19.♗xg3♕e3+19… f5!20.♕e2♕c521.♖d121. ♕xb5 ♕d4 followed by Rb8 gives Black decent play.21…e422.♗h3 Objectively White has consolidated, but practically Black still has chances as we shall see in the game. ♖fe823.a3 This move is understandable as it prevents Qb4+ but in future it will allow Black to further open the position with b4.23. ♗f2 e3 24. ♗g3 ♕b4+ 25. ♔f1 ♖ac823. ♔f1!±23…♗e524.♗f2e324… ♗c3+!? 25. ♔f1 e3∞25.♗h4b426.O-Obxa327.bxa3♖ab828.♖b1?!28. ♖c1∞28…♖xb129.♖xb1♕xa330.♗g2♕c531.♖d1? ♕c331… ♖b8!−+32.♖d3♕b233.♕xb2?33. ♗f1∞ And the position is still complicated.33…♗xb2 After exchanging the queens Hari Om Sharma realized that there is no way to stop both e2 and a5 pawns. He resigned the game.33… ♗xb2 34. ♖b3 ♗d4 35. ♗e1 e2+ 36. ♔h1 a4 37. ♖a3 ♖c8−+0-1
Rafiq was a regular at the Piloo Mody Open organised in Lucknow by N.K.Wal (1948-2010). He had won it in 1984 (joint first), 1986 and 1992 (jointly). In 1987, Chess Mate had offered two Brilliancy Prizes of Rs 100 each in the Piloo Mody Open. Surprisingly, both prizes were awarded to Rafiq, not for dashing tactical play, but for beautiful positional play! Both games are given below annotated by IM Manuel Aaron:
This game, and the next, won the brilliancy prizes sponsored by Chess Mate. 1.d4♘f62.♘f3b63.g3♗b74.♗g2e65.O-O♗e76.c4d57.cxd5exd58.♘c3O-O9.♗g5h610.♗xf6♗xf611.♕b3♖e812.e3c613.♖ac1♘a614.♖fd1♘c715.a4♖b816.♘e2g517.♕c2♕e718.g4 White plans to exploit the slight weakness of the f5 square. ♘e619.♘g3♘g720.h3♖bc821.♘f5♘xf522.♕xf5♖c723.b4♗g724.♕b1♖f825.♘h2 This knight is headed for f5. ♖d726.♘f1♖e827.♘g3♗f828.b5c529.♘f5♕f630.dxc5bxc531.a5♖b832.♖d2♗a633.♗xd5♖xb534.♕a2♖b435.e4c4Better was 35… ♗b5 36. ♖dd1 a6 37. ♕a3 ♕e536.♖dc2♖b337.♗xc4♗xc438.♖xc4♖xh339.♖c8♖hd340.♖1c6♕e541.♕c4♖d1+42.♔g2♖1d2 Threat 43. Qf4 targeting f2. 43.♘g3♕f444.♕c5! ♖d845.♖xd8♖xd846.♕f5! ♖d247.♕xf4gxf448.♘f5♖a249.a6♖a350.♘xh6+♗xh651.♖xh6♔g752.g552. ♖d6±52…♖a553.♔f3♖xg554.♖c6♖a555.♔xf4♖a256.f3♖a357.e5♖a4+58.♔f5♖a359.f4♖a5If 59… ♖a4 60. ♖d6 ♖a1 61. e6 fxe6+ 62. ♔xe6 ♖e1+ 63. ♔d5 ♖f1 64. ♖d7+ ♔f6 65. ♖xa7 ♖xf4 66. ♖b7! ♖a4 67. ♖b6++−60.♖d6! ♖a461.e6♖a5+62.♔g4fxe663.♖xe6♔f764.♖h6♖a1If 64… ♔f8 65. f5 ♖a1 66. ♔g5 ♖a2 67. ♖c6 Threat 68.Kf6 winning.65.♖h7+♔f666.♖xa7♖a367.♖a8♖a168.a7♖a369.♖f8+ 1-0
Rafiq Khan, MP…. – S.K.Sharma, Del1-0 Piloo Mody Open, Lucknow 1985.07.06 Annotation : Manuel Aaron 1.e4e52.♘f3♘c63.♗b5g64.d4exd45.♘xd4♗g76.♘xc6bxc67.♗c4♘e78.O-Od59.♗b3O-O10.♘c3d411.♘a4♕d612.c3c513.cxd4cxd414.♗g5♗d7! 15.♖e1c5?15… ♘c616.e5!! From now we see Rafiq’s extra-ordinary natural skill in the middle-game. ♗xe517.♗xe7♕xe718.f4c419.♖xe5♕b4 Looks as though white must return the extra knight, but watch! 20.♘c5! cxb321.♘xd7♖fd822.♖d5!+− bxa223.♖xd4♕xb224.♖d2! ♕c325.♖axa2♖ac826.♕e2♖e827.♖ac2♖xe2If 27… ♕a1+ 28. ♖d1 ♕a4 29. ♘f6+ ♔f8 30. ♖xc8 ♖xc8 31. f5!+−28.♖xc3♖xg2+29.♔xg2♖xc330.♘e5♖c731.♖a2! Always keep your opponent busy defending his weaknesses! f632.♘g4♔g733.♖a6! The way in which white controls this endgame and wins is very instructive. ♖f734.♔f3h535.♘e3♖d736.h4! ♔f737.♘c4♖d3+38.♘e3White plays it safe. He could also win with: 38. ♔e4 ♖h3 39. ♖xa7+ ♔e6 40. ♖a6+ ♔e7 41. ♘b6!+− wins, but requires a bit of calculation.38…g5White hopes to exchange off all the pawns and get a draw in the resultant rook versus rook and knight ending. If 38… ♖d7 39. f5!+−39.hxg5fxg540.♖xa7+♔g641.♖a6+♔f742.fxg5h443.♖h6! Always attack the enemy passed pawn from the rear! h344.♖xh3♔g645.♖g3♖a346.♔e4♖b347.♖g1♖b4+48.♔e5♖b5+49.♘d5 1-0
(Notes : For Chess enthusiasts -If any of the moves are missing, kindly log into the link below: https://www.chessbase.in/news/The-story-of-Rafiq-Khan)
After Rafique Khan passed away, we at ChessBase India contacted some of the people close to him in order to know more about Rafiq the chess player and also a person. Here are some messages sent to us.
Pravin Thipsay, third GM of India:
I met Mohamed Rafiq Khan for the first time in 1978 though I had heard a lot about him. Due to my university exam schedule I didn’t play any National ‘B’ until 1981, so I wasn’t able to personally watch Rafiq until he had become National Champion. But the then National Players from Mumbai always shared the important events and information with the other Mumbai players immediately on return. In one of the National ‘B’ Championships in the late 70s, an unknown Player Mohamed Rafiq Khan belonging to an undeveloped state of MP (in terms of Chess strength) emerged as the surprise winner and that too with an outstanding unparalleled score of 13.0/15! This absolutely stunned the Indian chess fraternity at that time. We were all amused to know about him through the stories we heard from the Mumbai players who returned dumbfounded after the “B”. I then learn that he had been a “desi” player for a few years before and had learned the rules of International chess hardly six months before the “B”. Even during the said “B”, Rafiq was reluctant to move pawns two squares and invariably began the game with a strange pieces and pawns configuration resulting from starting moves ..,e6, d6, g6, Bg7, Ne7, 0-0 followed by …b6, Bb7, Nd7 etc. Despite this, he not only defended his position well in every game but even went on to exploit the overextended and weakened position of the adversary to gain material. The Indian Chess fraternity was mentally shattered after this surprise result. “Doesn’t the strategy we have learnt over the years make any sense at all?” was the major question before the fraternity! Rafiq’s first National ‘A’ was however, quite dismal for him. His ‘strategy’ and tactics, which gave him a record score if 13/15 didn’t work against stalwarts like Ravisekhar, Parameswaran, Aaron, Nasir Ali, Mohamed Hassan, Vaidya. Rafiq failed to make it to the Indian team in his debut National ‘A’ and the Indian chess fraternity gave a sigh of relief. “Our knowledge isn’t a waste after all!” was the reaction. But despite this, with his polite cultured behaviour, Rafiq had made a place in the hearts of the chess players. The National ‘A’ result of 1976 might have led to introspection by him because the next National Championships saw an entirely different Rafiq. He had learnt the basic openings reasonably well and wasn’t getting into bad Positions. This factor, coupled with his tactical accuracy gave him the National title in the second attempt (1978).
I met Rafiq for the first time under the above circumstances. Though I hadn’t Played open Nationals, by virtue of my other results, I had become one of the highest rated players in the country. Due to Rafiq being national champion and my being a highly rated player, we were selected to represent India in closed International Grandmaster Tournament in Tehran in September 1978. During this tournament, we became close friends and my respect for him grew further. Though Rafiq didn’t have any knowledge about the chess strategy, his (natural) understanding of the strategy was fantastic. He had a great judgment and sense of survival. He exactly knew when passive defence would work and when it wouldn’t. This always resulted in him taking decisions quickly. Rafiq also had a fantastic depth and feel for practical endings and rarely made endgame mistakes, strategic or tactical. He understood the nature of chess naturally. In 1980 Malta Olympiad, he scored 10/13 on the third Board. An individual medal in Olympiad going to a Non-European was something no one could even dream of. And yet, Rafiq had achieved it!
Then came a sad phase in his life. where he fell ill unexpectedly and had to be admitted to the KEM hospital (Mumbai) for several weeks for Treatment of Tuberculosis and other respiratory as well as cardiac Problems. Though he fully recovered from the ailments, he was shaken and had lost his confidence to a great extent. The family responsibilities were also growing and he wasn’t able to focus fully on his career. Though he was a member of Indian Team in 1982 (Lucerne Olympiad) and 1983 (New Delhi Asian Team Championship), he wasn’t able to repeat his performance of the Malta Olympiad (1980). In 80s, he prematurely retired as a chess player and was eventually forgotten in the flow of time. On a personal level, we were very good friends. In 1991, during the Asian Women’s Championship (wherein Bhagyshree won the Asian title) and a top International rating Tournament in the country (which I won) Rafiq was a part of organising team and made his presence felt by playing the role of a very courteous and generous host. Rafiq was a very personal friend of both Bhagyshree and me. Unfortunately we never met after Chhattisgarh International Tournament for Chief Minister’s Trophy (2002). Rafiq called me last year just to say Hello and when I told him that Bhagyshree was playing in the International Grandmaster Open Chess Championship, he went to the tournament hall just to meet her. His demise is a severe personal loss to us. Had his health been good, Rafiq could and would have certainly achieved more at the International level. Our salutes to one of the greatest geniuses from the Indian Chess family.
Manuel Aaron, 9-time national champion and 1st IM of India
A poor carpenter from Bhopal, barely educated, Rafiq Khan is a story of a man who briefly became famous because of his prowess in chess. He came into the limelight by winning the Madhya Pradesh State Chess Championship in 1975. In 1976 he surprisingly won the National “B” Championship in Calcutta and Indian chess looked at him in awe as he finished ahead of almost all the best chess players of India. His rivals were proficient and experienced in modern chess theory which was denied to Rafiq because of his lack of English knowledge, yet he won. I was already aware of his good reputation when I first met him at the 1976 National “A” in Calcutta. But he was a big disappointment to me as he had a few gaps in his understanding of the middle-game, especially the handling of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bishops. Naturally, he didn’t do well in the “A” at Calcutta.
But by the time the next National “A” came in Cochin, he was a transformed player, his middle-game had improved dramatically and he took the title on tie-break from V.Ravikumar who became an IM two years later. Clearly, Rafiq was of IM calibre. Unfortunately for him the AICF and the young MP State Chess Association (MPSCA) at that time lacked the vision and wisdom to help and provide Rafiq with opportunities to become an IM. It may be recalled that when I won the National Championship in 1959, the then AICF Secretary S.K.Narasimhan (1918-1982) worked hard and tirelessly to provide me with opportunities to become India’s first IM. In all likelihood, the MPSCA, with men like D.C.Verma, got him the job with BHEL, Bhopal, which allowed him to live life with dignity. Before Rafiq there were two illustrious Muslim chess players who performed brilliantly in chess despite their lack of English knowledge and chess theory: Sultan Khan (1905-1966) and Mohamed Hassan (1931-1994). Actually people in Bhopal fondly referred to Rafiq as “the second Sultan Khan”. Rafiq qualified and played in all the National “A” Championships from 1976 to 1984. His best was the 1977 Championship in Cochin which he won. His famous victims in Cochin were IMs Manuel Aaron, Ravi Sekhar, WIM Rohini Khadilkar, Ananda Kumar Ghosh, Mohan Babur, et al. After a gap of many years, the Indian Government sponsored the Indian Men’s team to the Malta Olympiad in 1980. Till then only the Indian Women’s team which comprised solely, or mainly, of the Khadilkar sisters were sponsored. The Government had denied support to the Men’s team till Malta, 1980, as they claimed it was ‘weak’ or sub-standard. In the early years of the All India Chess Federation, it was fashionable to speak lowly of our standards when compared with International standards. In 1956, when V.K.Raman Menon (famous for Ramji’s Corner in Times of India) who was secretary of the AICF at that time, tried to raise funds to send India’s first ever team to the Moscow Olympiad (the four players paid for their own airtickets), there were many who disparaged his efforts saying that if our team went to Moscow it will only bring dishonour to India. Our team vindicated Ramji’s efforts by finishing decently with Ramdas Gupta of Kanpur scoring 10.5/17, of which 7/9 (!) came in the final classification group. Rafiq did the same thing for India in Malta. He scored 10/13 to take the silver medal for the second best performance on Board Three to rubbish the long-held belief of the Government that Indian men are not strong enough for International chess. It was amazing that a Bhopal carpenter won a medal at the Olympiad! Single-handedly, Rafiq had raised the popularity of chess in Madhya Pradesh.
After 1984 he did not participate in National championships. However in 2005 after the political shake-up in Indian Chess when a new organisation tried to run a parallel AICF offering huge prize money in their tournaments, Rafiq was tempted to return to chess, especially as some of the organisers of the new group commanded his respect. When he Emailed me through his student D.V.Singh, that he was going to play in a non-AICF tournament I tried to persuade him to avoid it but he did not heed me. Rafiq however, was not successful in those tournaments as a 20-year lay off from tournament chess cannot be kind to anybody’s chess power. Rafiq Khan should have easily become an IM, but it was not to be. A really great player, he was in the wrong place at the right time.
Rajesh Bahadur, former National A player
Rafiq Khan was meek and mild to talk to, never indulged in any mischief, nor did he made any complaint about uncomfortable situation if ever he faced one. Normally Rajendra Bagdi and I shared room with him whenever we participated in tournaments together. Always at ease, valued friendship very high and extended full support for analysis of adjourned games till we arrived at the final solution.
They proclaim “Like Poets Chess players are born”, there can be no better example of this maxim than Rafique. Though he was ignorant of various basic principles which govern chess, he had the knack of finding the smallest available opportunity to seize the initiative and exploit the position. In the beginning of his career he was regularly getting into worse positions out of the openings but once he reached the middle game he showed his class. The depth of his planning with clarity of strategic ideas and sensible judgment sometimes kept me amazed. It is easy to say that it all came naturally to him but without profound training and formal education as to how he demonstrated his skills is an enigma. It was a common occurrence for him to wriggle out of the worse position to defeat his opponents.
In the beginning, he was not at ease with White pieces on account of his limited opening and theoretical awareness, instead he liked his opponent to come after him so that he could take away the game once his opponent faltered at some point. I remember as he struggled with white pieces he opened with 1.d3 against R.B. Sapre (former National champion) in one of rounds in National ‘B‘ Patna 1975. In turn Sapre was so surprised that he thought for about 50 minutes before deciding upon his first move response and ultimately lost the game. However, as the time went by, in the company of elite chess players, given the exposure he learnt how to play decent opening and not to risk his chances in the early phase of the game. A carpenter by trade, he came from a very poor family and was not fortunate to get formal education. Nevertheless, he had high chess acumen and grasped easily whatever came his way particularly things related to chess. However, when he became National champion, he got a job in BHEL Bhopal and his pecuniary condition improved with time.
Up to 1976 we had been using English descriptive notation which is a bit difficult than the Algebraic notation currently in use. Although he struggled writing English letters and numbers for obvious reasons, he recorded the moves with utmost accuracy, I for one had never found an incorrect recorded move in his score-sheet and that indicates towards a vigilant mind, one of the very important attributes of a chess player. He was very proud to show me a game that he won with Black against T.N. Parmeswaran in a National A Championship during early eighties.
Vidit Gujrathi, India no.3
I was playing in an inter school level tournament in Kolkata when I was just 8-9 years old. Perhaps it was the Telegraph, but I don’t remember it accurately. But what I do remember is that I lost one of my games and started crying uncontrollably. My mother was naturally worried. At that point Rafiq Khan spoke to my mom and said, “Don’t worry about him crying. He has a fighter’s attitude just like Bobby Fischer, and he is crying because this game means so much to him.” Words from a great player like Rafiq Khan naturally boosted my mother and gave her the courage to continue my chess journey! My second meet with Rafiq Khan was over the chess board when I was around 10 years old. I remember that a big crowd had gathered around our board and I had managed to beat him. He was very graceful in his defeat. The last episode happened just a few months ago when I was in Pune at the ChampCoach training event with Vishy Anand. One of the students in the camp came towards me and gave me a pen with the words, “My coach Rafiq Khan has sent this pen for you.” What a thoughtful person. Even at this age he remembered me and made sure that I got the pen. Although the time I spent with him was very little, Rafiq Khan had made a deep impression on me not just as a chess player, but as a fine human being.
Dibyendu Barua, 2nd GM of India
The thing I remember about Rafiq Khan is that he was a natural player and was admired by all in 70’s & 80’s. He was very good in endgame.
Raja Ravisekhar, National champion of India in 1976
I am sorry to hear that Mohammed Rafique Khan has passed away – He scored the silver medal (I think with a score of 10/13) on the 3rd board at the 1980 Olympiad 1980 at a time when the financial rewards were not great – He was the National champion in Ernakulam 1978 but then these details are already known to you. His opening knowledge was suspect as he initially used to open 1.d3 but his play in the middle game and endgame was excellent – Like the late Nasiruddin Ghalib and Nasir Ali he learnt international chess after being expert in Indian chess.
Sannidhya Agrawal, student of Rafiq Khan
I met him as a kid in 2002 when I was just 13 to get trained under him. He was not only my coach but a father figure to me. He always treated me like his third son. He used to accompany me for the several tournaments as well. All these years even when I left chess in 2006, I was constantly in touch with him and his family and used to visit at least twice a year. The way I have witnessed his persona, no one ever has. He had an amazing sense of humor with lot of intelligence in it. Although he was not much educated but I haven’t seen much people with the kind of liberal, secular and progressive mindset that he possessed. As a player we all know he was one of the best talents India ever had. He was even called as Mir Sultan khan’s reincarnation by his colleagues. From being National ‘A’ champion to winning India’s first ever silver medal in the Malta Olympiad, winning open championships, he had numerous achievements under his belt. During his times, once he encountered GM O’Kelly in a tournament with white pieces. O’Kelly with black pieces played his own variation ie. O’Kelly variation in sicilian defence (Those who don’t know there is a variation in Sicilian defense with by his name), Mr. Khan crushed O’Kelly in his own variation after a one sided game. Mr. Khan and O’Kelly faced each other once again in a tournament after sometime, when Mr. Rafique Khan defeated him again. This was the kind of talent he had. Mostly he used to analyze his games in his head without any board. Even during his times when the games used to get adjourn, he never used board to analyze his game, as he in humor used to say that board are for those who cannot see. During that time with no computers available, his friends used to sit with him just to get a novelty in their respective lines. Even in later years with deteriorated eyesight, there was hardly a day when he never visited Bhopal Chess club. While attending his funeral a few days ago. I was wondering that it is so unfortunate for us as a chess fraternity to get to know about such legends after their demise. It would have been so much better if we teach about our chess history and its heroes as well to the young talent during their training.
Photo gallery:
This photo was taken at Trichy National A in 1979. The caption and description of players is done by GM Pravin Thipsay: Sitting (L to R): Nasir Ali (former National Champion and a great master of chess technique and positional play), T N Parameswaran (one of the most talented Indian players of all times. He won who won the Trichi National A in 1979), Viraf Avari (the future world amateur champion at the time of photograph), KBL Srivastava, (a belligerent genius from Delhi with immense over-confidence), Raja Ravisekhar (former twice National Champion), Manuel Aaron (9 times national champion), Ramchandra B Sapre (first National Champion of India, Elluru, 1955-56), S.N. Dutta. Standing (L-R): Md Rafiq Khan, Shyamal Dutta (Barua’s cousin in law), S.N. Ravishankar, S.V. Natarajan (several times member of Indian team and a genius in king side attack who turned into an unsuccessful politician and a social reformist later), Vijay Adhikari, Mohan T Babur, N. Neelakantan, The great Mohd. Hassan and Nasiruddin Ghalib.
Bagdi (Black) playing against Raja Ravisekhar (sitting on right), the standing players are (from left to right): Vijay Adhikari, Rohini Khadilkar, RadheShyam Gupta, Rafiq Khan and Manuel AaronAbid Ali (black pieces), a talented player from Madhya Pradesh, takes on Manuel Aaron as Rafiq Khan watches onWith his wife Zahida KhanLeft to right- Rafique’s eldest daughter Sajida, his wife Zahida Khan, with their eldest son Shafique in her hands, and his other daughter RashidaRafique Khan with his eldest son Shafique Rafique (on the right) with his daughter Sajida, father Abdul Rashid Khan
Rafiq Khan humorously used to narrate the incident of his appointment in the municipal corporation. When he went to Mr. Buch, the then administrator for the job, his first question was, “Till which grade have you studied?” To which he replied, “Sir, I am an illiterate.” At first, Mr. Buch held his head in his hands, but within five minutes, Mr. Khan got the job.
The Vikram Award, highest sports award for any player in Madhya Pradesh, was conferred upon Rafiq Khan in 1976-77
A short biography of Rafiq Khan’s life
By Sannidhya Agrawal
Date of birth – 12th July 1946
Father’s Name – Abdul Rashid Khan (passed away in 1993)
Mother’s name – Khurshid Beghum (passed away when Rafiq Khan was 16 years old)
Sibling – 1 younger sister
Marriage – He got married at the age of 17
Education – Studied at Madrasa, no formal education
Views – He was extremely secular and liberal in his views.
Mhd. Rafiq Khan was born in Bhopal in a poor Muslim family. His father was a poor carpenter who used to earn for his family by doing wood work. Due to the financial and economic crisis of his family, he was deprived of education in his propitious days of childhood. At a raw age, Rafiq began to do carpentry with his father and became his father’s assistant. He had a passion and zeal for all kinds of sports but he did not have the time to play hockey or football. From morning to evening, he and his father used to work really hard and went to bed worn out and fatigued on a daily basis. By the age of 16, he started earning some money from the work of carpentry. In between of all the toil, whenever he used to get exhausted, he had tea at a nearby shop and used to notice some people playing chess and carrom there. He found the game of chess quite intriguing and he started playing and discovering chess. Every day, he used to play chess regularly before sleeping and bound himself to a rule that under all circumstances, he has to play chess at least an hour before sleeping.
Gradually, he developed an understanding for chess moves and got quite a good grasp of the game but all this time, he used to play desi chess (a different form of chess with a few different rules like pawns can move only 1 square even when they are at their starting rank etc.) Rafiq Khan started playing chess on the Patiya (a kind of Nawabi tradition where people play chess and carom on pavements of the streets along with tea.) This pattern continued for a total of 12 years. By then, he had become a staunch player of chess. Later inspired by the success of Bobby Fischer, in 1974, Rafiq Khan participated in his first state tournament, which took place in Jabalpur, and became the champion. On winning that competition, he hoped that he would be identifiable to people, but he still remained anonymous. After becoming the state winner, Rafiq Khan became a participant of the national competition. In 1975, he played his first National ‘B’ Chess Competition held in Patna and secured tenth position. Next year in 1976 he won National ‘B’, held in Calcutta. In 1978, Rafiq Khan went on to become the National ‘A’ champion in Ernakulam, but even then he did not receive much recognition in his own state. Even after reaching the epitome of success, he could not get the fame which others got through the smallest of achievements. Rafiq Khan used to say that it doesn’t matter what economic crisis, problems or miseries you have in your life, if courage, perseverance, regular practice is present, then success can be acquired.
Rafiq Khan was on the verge of discontinuing his practice of chess because of extreme poverty, when Shahnawaz Khan, a chess admirer, noticed him. With the efforts of Mr. Shahnawaz Khan, he was appointed as a carpenter in the Municipal Corporation of Bhopal. He humorously used to narrate the incident of his appointment in the municipal corporation. When he went to Mr. Buch, the then administrator for the job, his first question was, “Till which grade have you studied?” To which he replied, “Sir, I am an illiterate.” At first, Mr. Buch held his head in his hands, but within five minutes, Mr. Khan got the job. While doing carpentry in the municipal corporation, Rafiq Khan became completely determined towards chess. He also played several national and international tournaments in the time being. He continued chess for 9 years with complete immersion and dedication. In this short period, he got the opportunity to play overseas for around four to five times. Firstly, in 1978, he played the Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Malaysia. He participated in his second international competition organized in Iran in the same year. Mr. Khan also participated in the Silver King event held in Dhaka in 1979. He also went to Malta and Switzerland to participate in Chess Olympiads in 1980 and 1982 respectively. His winning the board silver medal in Malta Olympiad created history for Indian chess. He was the first ever Indian chess player to achieve this honour. Rafiq Khan’s national record has not even been broken within the country.
In the national ‘B’ Chess championship 1976, he had set a record of scoring 13 out of 15 points; which is the all-time high till date. Also he made a record of winning 9 back to back rounds in the same event. Rafiq’s huge success was neither acknowledged much by the newspapers nor by the government. When he was at the peak of his career, the Janata Party came to the power. During this time, an English magazine ‘Onlooker’ did a detailed story on Mr. Khan’s achievements and the negligence of government towards him. This story reached the then Industry Minister George Fernandes. George recommended Rafiq Khan for a job in Bharat Heavy Electricals ltd. and he soon got a job in BHEL but his illiteracy became an obstacle for him. He was given the job of Operator Grade. Rafiq Khan probably would have gone farther in chess but unfortunately he could not do it.
In 1984, he suffered from severe sinus disease. After a year of suffering from this disease, he was diagnosed with anemia and he fell really sick. Despite many attempts, his life was saved but chess was lost. Due to health issues, he nearly left playing competitive chess. Although he stayed away from competitions but he was never isolated from the game of chess. He was constantly engrossed in chess, visited City chess club daily till the last day of his life. He also trained a couple of young players who went on to play at national and international levels.
______
Sannidhya Agrawal, the author of the above biography and Rafiq Khan’s student, has contributed heavily to this article. He was instrumental in acquiring the pictures, scanning them and providing them to us. Our heartfelt gratitude to him.
Apart from Sannidhya, I would also like to thank Akshat Khamparia for actively contributing a lot of content to this article. Pravin Thipsay and Manuel Aaron provided a lot insights which gave us a detailed picture of Rafiq Khan the chess player.
Messages from other readers of ChessBase India:
I played in National ‘B’ 1976 and also qualified for ‘A’. I played two games with him then, both drawn. A thorough Gentleman. He got along well with everybody. He was the first to smile – smile would come naturally to him – soon after the eye contact. I could speak ‘broken Hindi’, those days. So, we did have a bit of casual conversation. One incident stands out in my memory. It happened probably during National ‘B’, Delhi 1980. One of his team mate’s games, going to the end game, had just concluded. He was showing a difficult winning line in the ending which his team mate had missed. I had finished my game and happened to stand by watching his analysis. After showing the win to his team mate, he turned to me and remarked ‘Teek Hai?’ The remark speaks volumes of the man as I was no match for his chess ability.
– Ravi Shankar
I met him few times and he was a gentleman and humble also.I faced him once on board and was able to defeat him but that was not his prime time .Win or loss he always was smiling.
– Saket Kumar
Very saddened at the passing away of my chess colleague. I met him over and off the board in those 1970-80s. In the first ever All India Civil Services Chess Championship, Bhopal, he was the guest of honor for the inaugural function and I was a part of the Madras Team. Though he was not selected for the Asian leg of the India’s first Asian GM tournament, and considering his National Championship title, he was selected along with GM Thipsay for the Tehran event in the same year. His bagging the Malta 1980 Silver Medal is an indelible Indian chess record ever to remember. My heartfelt condolences to his family members and friends. May his soul rest in peace and quiet.
– V. Kameswaran, India’s first International Arbiter
He was a great player and human being. Saw him playing in National B. He was not well versed with English. Even he had problem in writing moves like PK4. He became B champion when he played for the first time in National B,don’t remember the year. Natural player, no book knowledge.
– Vinod Sharma
He was an original God gifted chess player. He never studied any chess book but he had defeated all the top players of India. We have lost a great chess player. May his soul rest in peace.
– Manoj Verma
शतरंज के भूतपूर्व राष्ट्रीय चैंपियन माल्टा ओलंपियाड के रजत पदक विजेता एवं विक्रम अवार्ड से सम्मानित उस्ताद रफीक खान का हार्ट अटैक से निधन का समाचार मिलते ही प्रदेश एवं छत्तीसगढ़ की शतरंज प्रेमियों में शोक की लहर फैल गई । उनका पूरा जीवन शतरंज के प्रति समर्पित रहा । अपने स्वाभाविक एवं नैसर्गिक खेल से उन्होंने शतरंज जगत में सम्माननीय मुकाम हासिल किया । मघ्यप्रदेश शतरंज संघ उनको सादर नमन करते हुए उनकी आत्मा की शांति के लिए श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करता है !
– Kapil Saxena, Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Chess Association
He was not educated, so he couldn’t read and write. Awful in the opening, his forte was middle game. Once he was playing in Malaysia/Singapore. The then FIDE President, Campomanes, watched the board Rafiq Khan playing. The position was horrible for Rafiq. When Compomanes reached his room in the lodge he inquired about the result of this particular board. On learning Rafiq had drawn the game, he said, ” I knew it.”
– Sundarajan Srinivasagam
There are players who play and then there are players who love the game … I remember the time when I was a small kid and all I could aim as a Bhopali chess player was to defeat ‘Ustad’ – thats what they used to call him here. A true inspiration, a true chess lover and an amazing mentor ! He will always be remembered as one of the finest of chess players India ever got and will always be remembered as Ustad ! May his soul Rest in Peace!
– Anshul Saxena
source: http://www.chessbase.in / ChessBase India / Home / by Sagar Shah / August 13th, 2019
