Desk Report,
Manon wants to become the world champion, emerging player of the year
‘This is a great moment in your life. You won an award, which is a recognition of your excellent performance on the chess board’—Manon Reza listened attentively to the words. He answered very briefly, ‘Yes.’
Manon wants to become the world champion, emerging player of the year
Then he was reminded of his achievements and successes last year. In 2024, he became the national chess champion, breaking the 43-year-old record of the subcontinent’s first grandmaster, Niaz Morshed, to become the country’s youngest international master. Shaking his head up and down, he said, ‘Hmm.’ He had thought about all this before stepping into the 15th year. He still has his whole life ahead of him—what else will Manon do on the chess board in that future life, such is the discussion in the chess arena of the country. Considering that possibility, Manon has been awarded the City Group-Prothom Alo Krira Puraskar 2024 Emerging Player of the Year award.
Manon was asked, ‘What are your future plans and what do you want now?’ It seemed that Manon, who is an international master, would definitely talk about his dream of becoming a grandmaster, which he is not too far from. But Manon answered the question, ‘I want to do many things. But even if you want, you will not get it. You will have to work hard for it. You will also need infrastructural support.’
While Manon was talking, a veteran athlete of another sport was sitting next to him. He said, a little surprised, ‘The boy is older than his age!’
Manon has been older than his age since he was a child. When he was in primary school, he loved playing football. Like ten other children in Bangladesh, he also played cricket. One day, his father took Manon out to buy him a cricket bat. Seeing a chess board there, Manon wondered, ‘How can the board of the game that Dad plays on the computer be here? That’s what I want, not a cricket bat!’
That’s how Manon started playing chess. Manon has won many tournaments both within the country and abroad. What does the 10th grade student of Dhaka Residential Model College want to win now? Of course, his dream is to become a grandmaster? After hearing this question, Manon could no longer keep his real dream a secret, “Becoming a grandmaster is just a matter of time now. My dream is to become a world champion now.”
To achieve a dream, you have to learn to dream. Manon, a fan of Magnus Carlsen, who held the crown of the world chess champion from 2013 to 2023, has already learned to dream, now it’s his turn to achieve his dream!
