Over 200 chess players from 50 countries and regions will compete in the World University Games due in July, the steering committee said Sunday.

"So far, 123 male athletes and 83 female athletes have applied for the competition. Players from countries like Aruba, Malawi and Guatemala applied for the first time to attend the Universiade," committee director for chess Alexei Dawadov told reporters.

In the last Universiade held in China's southern city of Shenzhen in 2011, 150 athletes competed in the chess games.

According to the rules, one country or region can apply for eight chess competitors, and the Russian team will be decided in the near future, Dawadov said.

The 27th Summer Universiade is to kick off in the capital of Tatarstan republic on July 6 and run through July 17. Some 13,000 athletes from over 170 countries and regions will compete in 27 sports for 351 medals.