Chess body to recruit young players to boost dream team

JAKARTA (JP): Newly installed chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) Bambang N. Rachmadi said on Tuesday the association aims to boost its dream team performances in the future by staging more tournaments in the country.

Bambang, who also manages a chain of fast-food restaurants throughout the country, said he wanted more players to join the team of four junior players, comprising Susanto Megaranto, Taufik Halay, Andrian and Tirta Chandra.

"We know have a grand master, Utut Adianto, and the dream team. But the gap between the two generations is really wide. We want to narrow the gap and recruit more young players to join the team," said Bambang after his installment ceremony at the National Sports Council (KONI) office in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

As part of the program, Percasi will stage three competitions next year, which also aim to promote chess and boost national chess player performances.

One of the competitions is the Bank IFI championship held in Percasi's 23 provincial chapters. Winners of the competition will go on to join the McDonald's Chess Master Circuit, which is staged every three months. Another tournament is the Enerpac tournament, which will take place between both of the competitions mentioned above.

Percasi also plans to stage competitions by inviting overseas grand masters.

Bambang said 10 of the 23 chapters had the potential to set up chess schools in their respective chapters. Some chapters have set up schools, including Yogyakarta and East Java. Two chapters of Jakarta and Bali founded the schools.

A Percasi official in charge of player development, Eka Putra Wirya, said Utut, world elo rating of 2,605, would fight in an online chess match against Nigel Short of England, world elo rating of 2,675, on Feb. 12, instead of this month, at the Ibis Hotel Slipi, West Jakarta.

KONI vice chairman Arie Sudewo said on Tuesday sports organizations must stage qualifying rounds for the 15th National Games (PON) in Surabaya in June.

Arie was responding to questions on the Indonesian Cycling Association (ISSI) which did not stage a qualifying round but decided on the qualified athletes based on their performances in several competitions from last year.

"If ISSI doesn't want to stage the qualification, they must tell us what problems they are facing. They can't just deny the decision without good reason," he said.

But ISSI secretary-general Hussein Argasasmita said that ISSI told its 26 provincial chapters that the qualification would be based on cyclists' national ranking until the deadline for PON this month.

"We have reported our decision to KONI. In cycling, only track events can be measured by the best time, but others cannot. That's why ISSI keeps monitoring competition results in our provincial chapters," he said.

ISSI will feature individual time trials (ITT), track, open road race and mountain bike events at PON in Surabaya, Malang and Jember. About 130 athletes have qualified in the event, which offers 21 gold medals. (yan)