Kenneth Boiktuswane, "Sabure for Chess World Cup," Mmegi, 17 January 2006 (Gabarone, Botswana).

The lucrative Women World Chess Championship takes place from March 10-27 in Ekaterinburg, Russia with Botswana's Tuduetso Sabure as one of Africa's flag bearers. The Woman Grand Master (WGM) will be among the 64 players from across the globe fighting for supremacy at the event.

Sabure is the African women chess champion. She will represent the continent in Russia with Egyptian Woman International Master (WIM) Sohir Busta and the Zone 4 champion Mezioud Amina of Algeria. Sabure's rise to the top of African chess has been a result of hard work and good tactical awareness.

The Russian event will give her the chance to test her skills against the best female players in the world. African players have never really left a mark at the tournament and this is an opportunity for Sabure, the new power in continental chess to change this. A good showing will see her getting invites from international chess tournament organisers.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) has already released declaration forms for players to sign and return by tomorrow. Signing these confirms that a player will participate at the World Cup and observe FIDE tournament guidelines. The document includes many interesting points. It says that players will give press interviews when requested to do so. They will be subjected to doping at any point throughout the tournament. With the International Olympic Committee taking a stern step on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, the chess body has not been left behind.

The eventual champion has to agree to undertake FIDE chess promotions for free. However, these promotions should in no way interfere with the player's tournament schedule.

The event promises to be a thriller with as many as seven Grand Masters (GM) taking part. These are women whose strength is at par with the best male players in the world. There will be 17 International Masters (IM) and 22 WGMs.

Heading the list is reigning champion GM Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria. She will face stiff competition from former champions GM Xie Xun of China, GM Zsuzsa Polgar of the United States of America and GM Maya Chiburdanidze of Georgia. The World Cup is to be played as a knockout event. The first round losers will each get U$ 3,750, second round losers U$5,500 and third round losers U$8,000. Quarter finalists are guaranteed U$12,000, semi-finalists U$20,000, losing finalists U$30,000.

The women's world chess champion will pocket U$60,000.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 19 January 2006