Chess ace Utut mulls giving Manila a miss for worlds in Russia
Chess ace Utut mulls giving Manila a miss for worlds in Russia
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The national chess team's chances in November's 23rd Southeast
Asian (SEA) Games are at risk as GM Utut Adianto considers
competing in the World Chess Championships instead.
World chess governing body FIDE announced on Wednesday the
world meet was scheduled for Nov. 26-Dec. 17 in Khanty-Mansysk,
Russia, while the SEA Games will be held from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5
in the Philippines.
The announcement of the worlds was sudden, with the
organization of the championship not following a set schedule in
recent years due to sponsorship issues.
Utut, who led teenage understudy GM Susanto Megaranto to a
one-two finish when chess made its SEA Games debut in Vietnam two
years ago, hinted on Wednesday he was leaning to accepting the
more challenging -- and profitable -- excursion to Russia.
"I already won gold in the SEA Games... in the world
championships, I am still hoping for at least a place in the last
16. But we will have to meet to talk over the issue," Utut told
The Jakarta Post.
The 40 year old clinched his world championship berth after
winning a zonal qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur early this
month.
"Since Kuala Lumpur, I hadn't started my preparation because I
didn't think the competition would be held sooner than 2006," he
said.
National chess association Percasi had been optimistic about
grabbing two of the eight gold medals on offer in Tagaytay City,
with Utut and Susanto spearheading the SEA Games campaign.
There is also no guarantee Susanto, who recently returned with
fellow teenagers Taufik Halay and Tirta Chandra from a
successful, three-month tournament trip to Europe, will compete
on the national team.
If the 18 year old does well at the Asian Championship next
month in Hyderabad, India, he would be eligible for one of 10
places for the worlds.
Percasi's deputy secretary-general Sebastian Simanjuntak said
the 128-draw world championships offers a total purse of
US$1.6 million and top prize of $100,000.
"Even if he lost in the first round, Utut can still expect to
return home with a match fee of $6,000," said Sebastian, a loyal
companion to Utut in making the round of tournaments.
Utut may be eager to beat his world championship "jinx" in
which he has never made it beyond the second round since his
first appearance in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1997.
He hired respected GM Tibor Karolyi of Hungary in his
preparation for the 2004 worlds in Tripoli only to lose to 1999
finalist Vladimir Akopian of Armenia.