We present high-resolution Chandra observations of the remnant of SN 1987A
in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The high angular resolution of the Chandra X
-Ray Observatory permits us to resolve the X-ray remnant. We find that the
remnant is shell-like in morphology, with X-ray peaks associated with some
of the optical hot spots seen in Hubble Space Telescope images. The X-ray l
ight curve has deviated from the linear flux increase observed by ROSAT, wi
th a 0.5-2.0 keV luminosity of 1.5 x 10(35) ergs s(-1) in 2000 January. We
set an upper limit of 2.3 x 10(34) ergs s(-1) on the observed luminosity of
any embedded central source (0.5-2 keV). We also present a high-resolution
spectrum and show that the X-ray emission is thermal in origin and is domi
nated by highly ionized species of O, Ne, Mg, and Si.