Chess: Title battle hots up

THE long-awaited announcement of Intel's sponsorship for the Professional Chess Association world championship was delivered this week. In the battle between the PCA and Fide, it left the initiative firmly with the PCA, but fell short of striking the decisive blow that some members of the new organisation had perhaps hoped for.

On the plus side for the PCA, they have dollars 1.2m ( pounds 800,000) in prize money for the world championship eliminating matches and a new 'Speed Chess Grand Prix'. The first of the speed events will be held - thanks to Garry Kasparov's contacts in high places - inside the Kremlin in Moscow.

The PCA have also promised to launch a new international rating list for the top 500 players. This will both give back ratings to Short and Kasparov, who were excommunicated from the Fide list, and will open up another front in the battle for control of world chess.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the PCA have said that both Karpov and Timman have expressed interest in playing in the speed events. With the PCA/Intel speed event not conflicting with any official Fide competition, it could pave the way for an eventual negotiated peace in the war over the world championship.

On the minus side, the announcement did not extend beyond the first dollars 1.2m and the preliminaries of the world championship, despite the fact that a dollars 6-7m package had been widely reported several weeks ago. Sources close to the negotiations suggest that Intel have an option on sponsorship of Kasparov's title defence in 1995, but were not willing to commit themselves fully at this stage.

Meanwhile, Fide are still scratching around for sponsors for the next round of their Candidates' matches. If they cannot match the Intel figures, their 'official' title will lose further credibility points. For the record, the line-up in both competitions is as follows:

PCA: Short-Gulko, Kramnik- Kamsky, Anand-Romanishin, Tiviakov-Adams. All playing for the right to challenge Kasparov.

Fide: Salov-Timman, Anand- Kamsky, Gelfand-Kramnik. The winners will be joined by Karpov in the semi-finals.