Kozhikode, Aug 16: A 19-member strong contingent will represent India in the 10th Asian Women's Chess Championship beginning here today According to FIDE vice-president and organising committee secretary P T Ummer Koya, 40 players from seven countries will compete in the 11-day tournament. Defending champion Li Ruofang, Zhao Xue, Wang Pin (all China), grandmaster Koneru Humpy, Vijayalakshmi Subburaman, Dronavalli Harika (all India) and Sergeyeva Maria (Kazakhsthan) will be among those vying for honours. The top 12 players from the championship will qualify for the World Championship, while women's grandmaster (WGM) norm will be conferred on the champion. Only those players with a minimum FIDE rating of 2100 during April-July 2003 have been selected for the competition.
FIDE international arbitrator and general secretary of the Malaysian Chess Federation, Abdul Hameed Majeed, will be the chief arbitrator of the championship that will be declared open by Mayor Thottathil Ravindran.
Bureau Report