Barua has played Khalifman previously, in the 1993 Inter-Zonal at Switzerland where he lost to him.

Barua, who came to know of his first round-opponent only today, said he had been making general preparations upto now and hopes to concentrate on specific areas.

Speaking to The Indian Express from Calcutta, he said, ``I am going to concentrate on my opening theories from now on,'' said Barua, a proud father of a six-month-old son.

Barua, whose Elo rating is 2538, may not be having the services of any seconds this time. During the previous World Knock-out cycle, he had Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay as his second. ``Pravin himself will be playing in Biel, Germany and some other tournaments where many strong players will be participating,'' said Barua.

Barua, who lost to CzechRepublic's Joseph Hrasek in the last championships, felt Kalifman was a much stronger opponent than Hrasek. ``He is one of the leading players with a dynamic style. He is like any of the players from the erstwhile Soviet era. You give him half a chance, and he will murder you,'' said Barua.

Barua's first match will be on July 31 and the second on August 1. The draw for choice of colours will be held on July 30, the day of the opening ceremony.