PUNE, JULY 29: Double women's Grandmaster norm holder Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi is the top women's chess player in India and not Bhagyashree Thipsay, it was clarified by PT Ummer Koya, secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF) while talking to The Indian Express, thus laying to rest all the confusion among the chess fraternity.The AICF forum magazine of July, listing the current Fide rating of players, indicated that Bhagyashree Thipsay had made a jump of almost 166 Elo points from her previous rating of 2235, to log a highest-ever 2335, thus topping the women's list. According to the new Fide rule, a maximum of 100 Elo points can be added to a player's previous points, while the remainder, if any, is carried forward. The list had placed S Vijayalakshmi - Elo 2326 - in second slot.A careful study reveals Bhagyashree has gained only 53 points, not 166. Fide has wrongly added about 112 Elo points in Bhagyashree's name which should have been credited to her Grandmaster husband, PravinThipsay!The list indicates that Bhagyashree has played 32 games, which includes seven in the Asian Zonal Women Championship (Mumbai), nine at Commonwealth Championship (Bikaner) and 16 games at the 36th National `A' Championship at Nagpur, which is an exclusively men's tourney.``It is a mistake. We have written to Fide to rectify it,'' said Koya, who is also vice-president of Federation Internationale Des Echecs (Fide), adding that, ``Viji is the No 1 women's player while Bhagyashree is at second place.''Talking about chess's inclusion in the 2002 Olympics Games, Koya said ``it's a welcome step. The Asian chess body will be meeting at Qatar in the first week of October to discuss the rules and regulations laid out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).''Koya said that India's selection procedure for the Olympics had not been decided so far. However, he said that if Vishwanathan Anand could make the Indian team if he completes the formalities laid down by IOC.Koya also announced that anine-member Indian team - five men and four women - will be participating in the Asian team championship to be hosted by China from October 11-20.Current National `A' champion and double GM-norm holder Krishnan Sasikiran, GM Pravin Thipsay, IM Abhijit Kunte, GB Prakash and IM DV Prasad will comprise the men's team while the women's team will consist of S Vijayalakshmi, Swati Ghate, Safira Shahnaz and Bhagyashree Thipsay.Koya informed AICF has plans to set up an independent federation for the physically handicapped chess players in the country, which will be recognised by the world physically handicapped body.``We plan to send the Indian chess team for the physically handicapped Olympic meet to be held at the Czech Republic in November this year. Koya has all such chess players to write to the AICF.Meanwhile, Aurangabad has been allotted the National under-7 and under-9 boys' and girls' championships, slated for October, and also the boys' and girls' under-15 selection trials for the WorldChampionship. Ahmedabad will host the Asian Youth Chess Championship this year.
