But favourites have often fallen by the way side and Vijayalakshmi is no exception to the rule. She has twice missed the title and the Women's Grandmaster's norm which was slated for the winner of the Asian Junior championships at Jaipur last year and at Rasht, Iran recently.

But apart from Vijayalakshmi, the field of 13 appears to be evenly matched, although some have marginally bigger chances.

Two veterans -- Bhagyashree Thipsay and Anupama Gokhale -- who have won ten titles before them, are in the fray. Then there is Swati Ghate, Saheli Dhar Barua, Safira Shahnaz, Mrunalini Kunte, the Mohota sisters, Swati and Nisha, Pallavi Shah, N Sarita Reddy, Neha Singh and Purabhi Singh.

Bhagyashree, who for the first time in 17 years did not finish among the top sixin the last National A at Calcutta, qualified for this championship with a turbo-charged performance. The IWM finished first at Mumbai in November in the National B. Bhagyashree finished sixth in the recently held Asian Women's championships at Malaysia. Barring health problems, that have been dodging her for the past one year, she could have a good tournament.

Then there is her citymate, Anupama, another IWM, who also has won five titles. The defending champion, came a poor 13th at Malaysia but has the temperament to do well in a round robin tournament.

Swati Ghate, holder of one IWM norm earned last year at Calcutta, came an impressive 19th and took the women's prize in the international Open rating chess tournament here in Mumbai.

She along with Pallavi Shah are likely to give the big three -- Vijayalakshmi, Bhagyashree, Anupama -- a good run for their money. Pallavi, though, her rating is only 2105, bagged a bronze at the Asian Juniors in Iran. This came on the heels of her National Juniortitle-winning exploits.

Saheli Dhar Barua did not have a good outing at Mumbai recently but she had finished second to Bhagyashree in the National B last year.

Nisha Mohota, who was the youngest Asian to win the IWM title in 1994, seemed to have got her act right after four years of indifferent performance when she finished third in the National B in Mumbai. But her poor showing in the National Junior event has undermined her preparation for this championship.

Her older sister, Swati along with Purabhi Singh, will be making her debut at the National A. Swati had a fortuitous entry into the premier championships. In her last round match against Sriparna Chakravarty of West Bengal, Swati was clearly losing when she pushed her queen into a trap. But Sriparna, with four minutes on her clock, did not play her 40th move until the flag fell.

Purabhi Singha is the first Assam girl to qualify. The distinction came after a strong performance in the National B where she finished sixth. Purabhi does not get toomany opportunities in Assam but won an open tournament and finished fourth in two state-level championships as a run up to Mumbai.

Then there is Neha Singh from Bihar, the only unrated player apart from Purabhi, Sarita Reddy of Tamil Nadu, Mrunalini Kunte and M Sai Meera all of whom can cause an upset on their day.

THE FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS

1. Nisha Mohota (West Bengal) 2105 vs Bhagyashree Thipsay (IDBI) 2205
2. Swati Mohota (West Bengal) 2125 vs Safira Shahnaz (TN) 2135
3. M Sai Meera (Indian Bank) 2105 vs Purabhi Singha (Assam)
4. Pallavi Shah (Maharashtra) 2105 vs Neha Singh (Bihar)
5. S Vijayalakshmi (Indian Airlines) 2325 vs Anupama Gokhale (B Petroleum) 2205
6. Swati Ghate (Maharashtra) 2210 vs N Sarita Reddy (TN)
7. Saheli Dhar Barua (Railways) 2240 vs Mrunalini Kunte (IDBI) 2170