Enamul of Bangladesh boycotted the match as the opponent was Israeli
September 21, 20241 Min Read
Sports Desk: Israel was the opponent of Bangladesh in the tenth round of the boys' category at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary. Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajeev was supposed to play for Bangladesh in this round. But he didn't play. Opponent Israel announced the boycott of the game through social media.

In the match that started at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Israel got a walkover on one of the four boards as Enamul did not sit on the chessboard.

Enamul said that this protest was mainly due to the Israeli aggression on Palestine, "Russia and Belarus are not allowed to play in the Chess Olympiad because of the attack on Ukraine." Chess' highest body FIDE has banned them. If they are banned, why not Israel? They are killing Palestinians indiscriminately. I boycotted the match against Israel in protest.

Even though the officials of the chess federation requested him to play, Enamul was firm in his decision.

Syed Shahabuddin Shamim, General Secretary of the Federation from Hungary, said, 'I have spoken to the secretary of the National Sports Council. He said, there are no restrictions on playing against Israel. The Sports Council will take action if he reports back.

Meanwhile, in the women's division, Bangladesh lost to Argentina by 1-3 points in the ninth round. Even if the team loses, Rani Hamid continues to win. The 81-year-old international women's master won all six of her six matches in Hungary.