Chess meet breaks local record<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A record 9,122 people took part in The Mega Chess 12000
\nfestival here on Friday but the competition fell short of its aim
\nto break the world record.<\/p>\n
The number was below the world record of 11,320 chess players,
\nwho played simultaneously in one tournament in Havana, Cuba, in
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
However, it easily broke the national record, a 2000-strong
\nchess meet in Surabaya in which Grand Master (GM) Utut Adianto
\nplayed simultaneous matches with 833 amateurs.<\/p>\n
It will be registered by the Indonesia Records Museum (MURI),
\nwhich sent its officials to the event.<\/p>\n
Opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the competition
\nwas staged inside two halls at the Kemayoran Fair Ground in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The failure to meet the expected 12,032 target was blamed on
\nlate withdrawals by some participants.<\/p>\n
\"We registered 13,000 players before the tournament,\" Bambang
\nSukotjo, from the organizing committee, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
MURI manager Paulus Pangka said that he found 1,455 seats in
\nthe sprawling two halls unoccupied, meaning the organizers missed
\n2,910 of the targeted 12,032 players.<\/p>\n
However, even the accuracy of the 9,122 figure was questioned,
\nwith committee chairwoman Santi Diansari disputing the way
\nparticipants were counted.<\/p>\n
Controversy could have been avoided if organizers had
\nproceeded with their plan to put a barcode on the participants'
\nshirts, which would automatically record their presence, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We scrapped that because we were still sure we could count
\nthe number of participants accurately,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
However, world records aside, the tournament was a success for
\nIndonesian chess, with participants coming from as far as
\nIndramayu, about 200 kilometers to the east of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We came here in 10 buses,\" a traveler from Indramayu, West
\nJava, said.<\/p>\n
The participants got free T-shirts with the color representing
\none of the political parties contesting the general elections.
\nMeals were also provided free.<\/p>\n
The matches were played in 14 rounds with an elimination
\nformat. In the first seven rounds players took moves alternately
\nevery 10 seconds, with 15 minutes to complete the game.<\/p>\n
Each move was marked with a gong from the podium stage.<\/p>\n
The remaining seven rounds were played in blitz chess,
\npermitting only five minutes to complete the game.<\/p>\n
The winner received the grand prize -- a Daihatsu Xenia.<\/p>\n
While only amateurs with no titles were allowed in the gala
\ntournament, titled players took part in the team's master
\ncompetition.<\/p>",
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