Bangladeshi Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman is going to take part in the Chess World Cup qualifiers 2013 without any picky preparation. The tournament will be held in Tromso, Norway from August 10.
Zia will face Israeli Grandmaster and 2009 champion Boris Gelfand, who became runners-up in the last Chess World Cup, in the first round. A total of 128 players are participating in the meet. Zia, rated 2475, is expected to leave for Norway on August 5. The Bangladeshi GM earned the World Cup qualifiers ticket by winning the Asian zonal chess championship.
Sub-continent’s first Grandmaster Niaz Morshed was the first to play in the World Cup qualifiers in 1997 while Rajib and Zia took part in 2007. The last time Zia participated was in 2011.