Sheikh Russel Cup Invitational Team Chess Championship begins
Sheikh Russel Cup Invitational Team Chess Championship began today (Thursday) at the Bangladesh Chess Federation hall room marking Sheikh Russel Day and the birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Youth and Sports Secretary Mejbah Uddin inaugurated the meeting as the chief guest while Tarafder Ruhul Amin, director of Saif Powertech Limited, was present as the guest of honor.
Bangladesh Chess Federation (BCF) general secretary and president of Zone 3.2 of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) Syed Shahab Uddin Shamim was present as a special guest.
BCF’s vice president KM Shahidulllah presided over the opening ceremony.
Major Farukh Ahmed Khan (retd), executive director of SAIF POWERTEC Limited BCF’s joint secretary Masudur Rahman Mallik Dipu, BCF’s executive members Moniruzzaman Palash and Sajal Mahmud and chief arbiter Haroon Or Rashid were also present in the opening ceremony.
Apart from Bangladesh, all the countries of Zone 3.2 of the World Chess Federation, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are participating in this six-nation invitational team chess event.
All teams will participate in the round-robin league system. At the end of the first phase, the Super League will be held with the participation of the top three teams. The super league will also be held in a round-robin league format.
A total of USD 10,000 will be awarded in this event, of which the champion team will receive USD 4,000, the runner-up team will have USD 3,000, the third-place finishers will receive USD 2,000 and the fourth-place finishers will get USD 1,000 as prize money.
First-round matches started after the inauguration ceremony, in the first round Bangladesh played with Sri Lanka, Pakistan played with the Maldives and Nepal played with Bhutan.
The second round of the championship will start tomorrow (Friday) at 3 pm at the same venue.
The second-round matches are Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Bhutan vs Sri Lanka and Maldives vs Nepal.