Cerdas moves closer to winning GM title Bled<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian chess team as a whole has yet to prove its
\ncompetitiveness at the ongoing chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia,
\nhowever, Jakartan Cerdas Barus has so far proven that he deserves
\npraise for his own play.<\/p>\n
Collecting 15.5 points as of the eighth round of the planned
\n13, Indonesia is still struggling in mid-table at the tournament,
\nwhich features 141 teams from 139 countries.<\/p>\n
The tournament is played as a team competition with two
\nopposing sides fielding four players each. The participating
\nteams are allowed to bring on two extra players as possible
\nsubstitutes.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian team, which comprises Ivan Situru, Cerdas
\nBarus, Awam Wahono, Andi Nurjabal, Susanto Megaranto and Irwanto
\nSadikin, has won three, drawn one and lost four matches with
\nanother five rounds to spare.<\/p>\n
The team is deprived of the country's number one player, Utut
\nAdianto, who opted to compete in the Cap d'Adge chess tournament
\nin France.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's wins were scored against Papua New Guinea, Denmark
\nand Vietnam. It lost to Yugoslavia, Spain, Australia and Peru.
\nThe draw came in its matchup with Iceland.<\/p>\n
While conceding to an under-strength squad and hoping for a
\nrally in the remaining rounds, the Indonesian Chess Association
\n(Percasi) is high on Cerdas' individual prospects.<\/p>\n
After a promising performance in an international tournament
\nat home, Cerdas, whose current elo-rating is 2479, has come to
\nBled with high hopes that he would carry on further to strike
\nanother point required in his bid to attain a Grand Master (GM)
\ntitle.<\/p>\n
\"Cerdas needs an additional 21 points for the title. And he is
\nmoving toward that goal,\" Eka Putra Wirya, Percasi's executive
\ndirector, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"He may even be able to win a gold medal as the highest
\nscoring player on board three,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Cerdas has been unbeatable thus far, booking five wins and
\nthree draws to collect 6.5 points. His latest victory came at the
\nexpense of Pacheco Marco in the eighth round on Saturday.<\/p>\n
It was to be the only point in Indonesia's shocking 1-3
\nhumiliation at the hands of unheralded Peru, a defeat that
\ncondemned the team to a drop in the standings.<\/p>\n
But Eka is trying to remain optimistic. \"We still have room to
\nmove up the standings. Our main aim is to avoid falling outside
\n44th,\" he said, recalling Indonesia's last position at the Turkey
\nOlympiad two years ago.<\/p>\n
In Bled, Russia, which is spearheaded by number one Gary
\nKasparov, leads the standings with 24 points. Hungary, China,
\nGeorgia and Slovakia rounded out the top five.<\/p>\n
In the women's category, in which Indonesia did not field a
\nteam, Georgia is atop with 19 points followed by the United
\nStates, Russia, China and Romania.<\/p>\n
Sunday was a day off. Competition resumes on Monday with
\nIndonesia taking on Lebanon in the ninth round.<\/p>",
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