GM Zia’s son to represent Bangladesh in Chess Olympiad
FIDE Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia, the only son of deceased Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman, will represent Bangladesh in the upcoming 45th Chess Olympiad after winning a tie-breaker to finish fifth in the 48th National Chess Championship at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room today.
Tahsin tied with Anata Chowdhury for the fifth position with seven points each at the completion of the 13-round championship.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A tie-breaker was held yesterday to decide who would take the fifth and final spot in the Bangladesh team for the Chess Olympiad, which is composed of the top five spot holders in the chess championship.
FM Tahsin defeated Ananta with black pieces in the first game and then drew the second match to secure a place in the team.
"I was not thinking about my father's demise or the opponent in the play-off, I just played the game," said the 19-year-old, who wants to represent Bangladesh in Chess Olympiads for many years just like his father.
FM Tahsin and GM Zia had made headlines back in 2022 by becoming the country's first father-son duo to compete in a Chess Olympiad.
GM Zia, who recently passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest during the 12th round match of the championship on July 5, had hopes of competing in another Chess Olympiad alongside his son, revealed Tahshin.
"My father [Zia] wanted me to play in the Chess Olympiad alongside him just like we had done in the previous one in 2022. He is no longer with us but I have qualified for the Chess Olympiad," he said.
GM Zia finished joint fourth in the championship alongside GM Niaz Murshed with eight points each. However, Zia had played two rounds fewer than Niaz.
The 45th Chess Olympiad is scheduled to be held in Budapest, Hungary from September 10.
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