Tasmin Sultana Labanya, wife of late Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman Zia and mother of FIDE Master (FM) Tahsin Tajwar Zia, thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday as it announced to provide financial assistance of Tk15.80 lakh to her son to cover the associated costs of his participation in international events.
“A lot of thanks to BCB. I’m really really grateful to them, especially Sujon vai. They’ve agreed to provide the exact amount which I request them to give. I asked many people to help my son, but only the BCB extended their helping hands. I’m really grateful to them,” Labanya said.
“Zia’s dream was Tahsin to play in the junior World Cup. Tahsin is now 19, it is his last year, his last opportunity. He cannot play in the junior World Cup after that,” she added.
The 19-year-old Bangladeshi FM will use the amount of Tk15.80 lakh to compete in three international competitions -- World Junior Under-20 Chess Championship in Petrovac, Montenegro, Asian Zonal Chess Championship 2025 in Sri Lanka and Grand Masters and International Masters Events in Hungary.
“Tahsin is a very talented chess player and it is a pleasure to see him following in his legendary father’s footsteps. We want to support his quest for further success and excellence as he pursues an IM title with an eye on becoming a GM in the future. The BCB is proud to be a part of Tahsin’s journey,” BCB President Faruque Ahmed said in a statement on Monday.
“We feel that this is also a way of expressing our deepest gratitude to GM Ziaur Rahman for his contribution to the game of chess and to our nation’s sports,” he added.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
