Kirkland House will open its first annual wrist-wrestling competition tonight to raise money for a scholarship fund established in honor of Andrew Puopolo '77, the football player killed in a Boston Combat Zone fight last November.

Entry fees from the tournament, organized by two House residents, will be donated to Boston Latin High, Puopolo's high school, which established the scholarship last fall.

More than 250 students, including 40 women, have signed up for the contest, John M. Cosgrove '79, who helped organize the competition, said yesterday.

Cosgrove said he expects to raise approximately $500 from entry fees and the sale of tournament T-shirts. He added that the group plans to hold an Ivy League wrist-wrestling contest in May to raise more money for the Puopolo fund.

Daniel G. Acosta '79, an entrant in the competitions, said yesterday he expects it to be "a wide-open contest" because so many inexperienced wrist-wrestlers have entered the tournament.

"The quickness I have acquired in handball will be my biggest asset," Acosta said.

Philip S. Sloan '77, another contestant, said he is not practicing for the event. "Wrist-wrestling is not exactly the type of thing you go into training for. Either you're good or you're not," he said.