Bangladeshi Boy Spared Expulsion to Play Chess for France

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Once threatened with expulsion for living in the country illegally, a Bangladeshi chess prodigy will now represent France at next month's European championships, chess officials said Monday.
Fahim Alam, 11, won France's under-12 chess championship in April but was facing expulsion because he arrived illegally in France in October 2008 with his father Nura and in 2010 was issued with an order to leave the country.


After his case received widespread media attention, Alam's father was granted a work and residency permit in May after obtaining a job as a dishwasher and social housing in the Paris suburb of Creteil.


The director of the French chess federation, Laurent Verat, said there was now no obstacle to Alam taking part in the European championships in Prague from August 16 to 26 as part of the French team.


"He is planned to be with the other young French in Prague," Verat said, adding that permission needed to be obtained from the Bangladeshi chess federation.

"It's done," Alam's coach Xavier Parmentier said, confirming he would be able to take part and adding that the boy "has begun to work and concentrate on chess after the media hurricane" surrounding his case.

French officials, including former prime minister Francois Fillon, had said Alam's case would be examined "with the greatest attention" after it came to light earlier this year.

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French Under-12 Chess Champ in Immigrant Problem

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

This is a chess news story pointed out to us by Chess Blog reader Sana Fahim from Dhaka. A Deccan Herald news report datelined Paris via AFP states: "Prime Minister Francois Fillon said today he would review the case of a Bangladeshi boy who is France's under-12 chess champion and is threatened with expulsion because he lives here illegally."

 

"Naturally this young man, if he is a chess champion, merits that his case be examined with the greatest attention," Fillon told France Inter radio when asked about the status of 11-year-old Fahim Alam. Alam arrived illegally in France in October 2008 with his father and in 2010 was issued with an order to leave the country. He was sheltered for a time by an immigrant help group and currently lodges with families from his chess club in the Paris suburb of Creteil. Alam won the junior French championship last month and would be able to join the national team in tournaments abroad if he had valid travel documents, according to the French Chess Federation. Federation official Jordi Lopez said that Alam had the right to join the national team because he met the criterion of being enrolled in a French school.

Life can be a difficult chess game to play at times.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com