Grand Master Ziaur Rahman will leave Dhaka tomorrow for Norway to take part in the Chess World Cup which will be held in the city of Tromso from August 10 to September 3.
Zia will play two games in the first round against ninth-ranked player in the world, Boris Gelfand (rating 2764) of Israel, on August 11 and 12 respectively, said a press release from Bangladesh Chess Federation (BCF) yesterday.
Since this is a knock-out tournament with 128 competitors taking part, Zia will need 1.5 points from two games to advance to the second round. However, if both players win a game each, then a rapid play-off will take place to decide the winner.
Zia qualified for this meet after becoming champion in the Asian Zonal Chess Championship held in Sri Lanka in February this year.
The BCF provided Dhaka-Oslo-Tromso-Oslo-Dhaka air ticket for Zia, who also received a grant of 25,000 dollars from Bangladesh Cricket Board for other expenses.
-With The Daily Star input
