Chess meet breaks local record

Chess meet breaks local record

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A record 9,122 people took part in The Mega Chess 12000
festival here on Friday but the competition fell short of its aim
to break the world record.

The number was below the world record of 11,320 chess players,
who played simultaneously in one tournament in Havana, Cuba, in
December.

However, it easily broke the national record, a 2000-strong
chess meet in Surabaya in which Grand Master (GM) Utut Adianto
played simultaneous matches with 833 amateurs.

It will be registered by the Indonesia Records Museum (MURI),
which sent its officials to the event.

Opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the competition
was staged inside two halls at the Kemayoran Fair Ground in
Central Jakarta.

The failure to meet the expected 12,032 target was blamed on
late withdrawals by some participants.

"We registered 13,000 players before the tournament," Bambang
Sukotjo, from the organizing committee, told The Jakarta Post.

MURI manager Paulus Pangka said that he found 1,455 seats in
the sprawling two halls unoccupied, meaning the organizers missed
2,910 of the targeted 12,032 players.

However, even the accuracy of the 9,122 figure was questioned,
with committee chairwoman Santi Diansari disputing the way
participants were counted.

Controversy could have been avoided if organizers had
proceeded with their plan to put a barcode on the participants'
shirts, which would automatically record their presence, she
said.

"We scrapped that because we were still sure we could count
the number of participants accurately," Bambang said.

However, world records aside, the tournament was a success for
Indonesian chess, with participants coming from as far as
Indramayu, about 200 kilometers to the east of Jakarta.

"We came here in 10 buses," a traveler from Indramayu, West
Java, said.

The participants got free T-shirts with the color representing
one of the political parties contesting the general elections.
Meals were also provided free.

The matches were played in 14 rounds with an elimination
format. In the first seven rounds players took moves alternately
every 10 seconds, with 15 minutes to complete the game.

Each move was marked with a gong from the podium stage.

The remaining seven rounds were played in blitz chess,
permitting only five minutes to complete the game.

The winner received the grand prize -- a Daihatsu Xenia.

While only amateurs with no titles were allowed in the gala
tournament, titled players took part in the team's master
competition.