The 42nd National Women's Chess Championship got underway at Bangladesh Chess Federation Hall Room on Monday. The top five finishers from the tournament will earn a spot in the Bangladesh women's national team till next year.

Four players – WFM Noshin Anjum, WCM Ishrat Jahan Diba, Neelava Choudhury, WFM Wadifa Ahmed – were leading the table with one point each at the close of the first-round matches.

Defending champion Noshin beat Tabassum Sadia Shahjahan while Diba beat WFM Jannatul Ferdous. Neelava got the better of WCM Kazi Zarin Tasnim as Wadifa beat WCM Nusrat Jahan Alo. 

Meanwhile, WIM Rani Hamid and WCM Warsia Khusbu drew against WIM Sharmin Sultana Shirin and WCM Ahmed Walijah, respectively.

A total of 12 players are participating in the 11-day long round-robin league and the top five finishers from the championship will secure places for the national women's chess team which is supposed to take part in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary next September.