A group of international grandmasters including Nigel Short, formerly Britain's top player, has launched the World Chess Beauty Contest, an internet competition to find so-called "chess chicks" beautiful women who play competitive chess.

Jennifer Shahade, twice a US women's champion, said: "There is nothing wrong with making chess sexier by highlighting the hip players who participate. But I find the World Chess Beauty Contest misguided and juvenile.

Source: China People's Daily Is this good or bad for chess? I'm in the middle about this. It's okay if they don't go overboard. For example, Maria Manakova the 4th strongest Russian women player who posed nude for a magazine for the 'good of chess' is definitely too much. Vanessa Reid - She is ranked 47,694th among both men and women but apparently she is the top rated based on the 'World Chess Beauty' website. Coincidentally Vanessa Reid, 16, runs cross- country, plays touch football, enjoys in-line skating, swims and goes bodyboarding. She also represented Australia at a tournament in Malaysia in 2002!! Link: World Chess Beauty Contest website. There is a long of a debate on what's good and what's not about this at Susan Polgar website about Ladies In Chess. Technorati tag: Chess Chessnews