DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 July) – February 1986. 

The air in Mindanao State University – General Santos City carried the usual scent of excitement and springtime sweat. The Mindanao State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (MSCUAA) Meet was in full swing. That was the first time I met Naid Kusain—a name I would later associate not only with a sharp Sicilian Defense but with quiet resilience in public service.

He was already a legend in his own right, the board one player of the strong USM (University of Southern Mindanao) Kabacan Chess Team. I, on the other hand, was the second board player of what was then Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC). I was also, as they said with mild astonishment, the only high school athlete participating in the entire event. A freshman kid flanked by seasoned college players. Call it baptism by fire—played on sixty-four black and white squares.

Since then, Naid and I would cross paths occasionally—in chess tournaments, in cafés, and at the old ARMM Compound, where he once worked. Never loud. Never boastful. Always thoughtful and a few moves ahead, like any good chessman.

But it was about three years ago, over a humble meal at Rebecca Lounge, that we had our most memorable conversation—one that had nothing to do with chess.

“Naid, what’s keeping you busy these days?” I asked as I speared a piece of beef on my fork.

“I’ve just been to a BARMM office,” he replied, a soft sigh following his words. “Trying to explain why we need to finalize and implement the BARMM Data Privacy Manual. Under RA 10173. You know… the Data Privacy Act.”

“Hmm,” I nodded, but I knew my face betrayed my unfamiliarity. “Tell me more. But, uh… in layman’s terms, please.”

What followed was a two-hour crash course on data protection, surveillance vulnerabilities, and the digital age’s moral obligations.

“Mansoor, imagine if someone photocopied your voter registration form—then posted it online without your permission. Now imagine if that form included your phone number, email, even your child’s school…”

“A nightmare,” I said, now alert.

“Exactly. That’s why every agency needs to have a clear Data Privacy Manual. It’s not just paperwork. It’s peoplework—protecting the dignity of our citizens in this age of exposure.”

Naid spoke not as a bureaucrat ticking off compliance boxes, but as a sentry at the gate of an increasingly digitized frontier, reminding us that data isn’t abstract—it’s personal, it’s lived, it’s vulnerable.

Still, there was a hint of frustration in his voice.

“But it seems… not everyone sees its importance. Sometimes I feel… irrelevant.”

I paused, fork in mid-air.

“Naid, don’t be disheartened,” I said, leaning in. “If your worth isn’t appreciated in one office, it will be in another—or in many others. You’re like a torrent. If a door closes, your strong current will find other open windows.”

He half-smiled, and I told him my own story—how I was once denied a cultural heritage proposal form (yes, just a form), only to be offered two unexpected writing projects – a book and a book chapter – soon after.

“Sometimes,” I said, “the game doesn’t end in checkmate—it continues in another match.”

This morning, I saw a Facebook post by Datu Nash Maulana, the Cotabato-based journalist and scientist. The post read:

“Bangsamoro: We Owe This Man a Lot” (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CVM4CNds8)

It didn’t mention chess, or July 20.

But I checked the calendar.

Today is World Chess Day.

A day close to Naid Kusain’s heart.

A day for silent thinkers, long-game players, visionaries behind the scenes.

A day for people like Naid—who may not always be appreciated in the spotlight, but whose every move, quiet as it is, fortifies the position of others.

So, let this column be a bishop’s diagonal line of gratitude.

Let this story be a pawn promoted to remembrance.

Let Naid’s continuing legacy—on the board, in the bureaucracy, and beyond—never be an unsung endgame.

[MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Mansoor L. Limba, PhD in International Relations and Shari‘ah Counselor-at-Law (SCL), is a publisher-writer, university professor, vlogger, chess trainer, and translator (from Persian into English and Filipino) with tens of written and translation works to his credit on such subjects as international politics, history, political philosophy, intra-faith and interfaith relations, cultural heritage, Islamic finance, jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (‘ilm al-kalam), Qur’anic sciences and exegesis (tafsir), hadith, ethics, and mysticism. He can be reached at mlimba@diplomats.com and www.youtube.com/@WayfaringWithMansoor, and his books can be purchased at www.elzistyle.com and www.amazon.com/author/mansoorlimba.]