SOFIA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The world "top heavy-scale" chess tournament "M-Tel Masters" 2006 began on Wednesday in Sofia, reported Sofia News Agency.

    The top tournament, which is assessed by the FIDE at scale 20, gathered the chess elite for a second successive year.

    Three world chess champions -- present world champion Bulgarian Veselin Topalov and two former champions Indian Viswanathan Anand and Ukrainian "Wonder Child" Ruslan Ponomariov entered the competition.

    Other three participants are American Gata Kamsky, Etienne Bacrot from France and famous Russian master Peter Svidler.

    The six top talents will struggle in the next 10 days for the great honor of the champion.

    The rules of the tournament are for two rounds with 7-hour control. Each participant will play two games against the rest in exchanged colours. In case of a draw at the top a tie-break will be played to decide the winner.

    It is also the first and unique tournament, which rules the players cannot agree a draw.

    Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, world-famous Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho and Hollywood movie star Wesley Snipes are among the invited guests for the opening of the international super chess tournament.

    The first "Mtel Masters" tournament was launched in 2005, when Veselin Topalov won the gold and stepped into the rail of an irresistible career victory. Enditem