FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	                   Contact:	Eric C. Johnson
June 19, 1998                               (845) 562-8350
Press Release #34 of 1998

FIELD ANNOUNCED FOR 1998 INTERPLAY U.S. WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

The U.S. Chess Federation has announced the field for the 1998 Interplay U.S. Women's Championship, scheduled for October 30 through November 9 at the Doubletree Hotel in Denver, Colo.

The 1998 event is a traditional 10-player Round Robin, featuring the top female players in the country. The enhanced prize fund is $28,000, including a first place prize of $5,000.

The 10 official players are:

  1. WGM Anna Gulko, 41, of Fairlawn, N.J.
  2. WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
  3. WIM Esther Epstein, 44, of Newton, Mass.
  4. Irina Krush, 14, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
  5. WIM Anna Khan, 22, of Jersey City, N.J.
  6. Jennifer Shahade, 17, of Philadelphia, Pa.
  7. Ivona Jezierska, 40, of Van Nuys, Calif.
  8. Olga Sagalchik, 31, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
  9. Tatyana Zitserman, 51, of St. Louis Park, Minn.
  10. Jennie Frenklakh, 18, of Marina, Calif.
Should an unforeseen emergency arise, the official alternate is: WIM Sharon Burtman, 30, of Orange, Calif.

The event is open to the general public. For more information, contact local organizer Craig Wilcox at (303) 298-0673.

The 1998 Interplay U.S. Women's Championship is made possible through the generous support of Interplay Productions, Inc., of Irvine, Calif. Interplay is the world's source for innovative gaming software, including the popular children's software "Chess Mates."

For more information about the 1998 Interplay U.S. Championship, check the USCF website at www.uschess.org.

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For more information about this and other chess events, contact Assistant Director Eric C. Johnson, U.S. Chess Federation, 3054 NYS Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553; phone: (845) 562-8350; FAX: (914) 561-2437; or see our weekly news column on the World Wide Web: http://www.uschess.org.