Percasi sorting out young players for Dream Team II<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) is set to hold the
\nNational Junior Grand Final next month to net young talent for
\nthe "Dream Team II", an official announced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The tournament, which will be held in Bekasi, an eastern
\nsuburb of Jakarta, from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, will bring together
\nall top five players from the preceding five circuits in five
\ncities -- Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Banjarmasin and Bandung.<\/p>\n
The participants are divided by gender and two age groups --
\n10-14 and 15-18.<\/p>\n
"We will be on the lookout for young talent. We are expecting
\na shortlist of ten candidates," Hendry Jamal, from the organizing
\ncommittee, told The Jakarta Post at the association's office in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The candidates will undergo intensive training at Utut Adianto
\nChess School (SCUA) in Bekasi for a few months before being
\nrecruited into a permanent team, called Dream Team II.<\/p>\n
The team is to assume a preparatory role for Dream Team I,
\nwhich has represented Indonesian at many international and
\nregional junior tournaments.<\/p>\n
Dream Team I comprises Tirta Chandra, Taufik Halay, Susanto
\nMegaranto and Andrean Susilodinata. Their average age of all the
\nmembers combined is 14 years old.<\/p>\n
Susanto and Andrean finished in the top five of their
\nrespective age group at the 2001 Youth World Chess Championship
\nin Spain, while Tirta's latest achievement was winning the ASEAN
\nCup in Kuala Lumpur last December.<\/p>\n
The four have been assured of places for the February
\ntournament, along with the other 11 players as wild card
\nrecipients. Among those who will enter the tournament through the
\nback door include Boy Reinhard, Surya Wahyudi and Ferry
\nFerdiansyah, the three being winners at last year's National
\nChampionship in Bali.<\/p>\n
In total there will be 90 competitors. Seventy-five of them
\nwill come from the five circuits, each with 25 players. A total
\nof Rp 6 million (US$576) in cash prizes will be on offer.<\/p>\n
Hendry did not rule out the possibility that Dream Team I
\nmembers will dominate the competition, thus preventing potential
\nyoungsters from taking trophies and chances of being made Dream
\nTeam candidates.<\/p>\n
"To assess their level of skill we will not judge simply by
\ntheir result. As long as they do not drop too far in the
\nstandings, say fourth at the worst, they will still impress the
\nscouting team," he said.<\/p>\n
The tournament has been moved from the formerly designated
\nhost town Indramayu, a West Java town about 180 kilometers east
\nof here, because the local chess authority was unable to provide
\nthe required facilities.<\/p>\n
The Bekasi organizers will remain with the old competition
\nsystem, in which a player is given 90 minutes of thinking time.
\nThe new rules of playing time allows an increment of 20 seconds
\nper move.<\/p>",
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