Dream Team faces former champions

JAKARTA (JP): The four players in the "Dream Team" -- National Master (MN) Susanto Megaranto, MN Taufik Halay, MN Tirta Chandra and MN Andrean Susilodinata -- are undergoing tryouts to be selected to compete at the ASEAN Open Chess Tournament in Brunei Darussalam next month.

The tryouts began on Sunday and will end on Wednesday at the Utut Adianto Chess School in Bekasi. The boys will be challenging former national champions Grand Master (GM) Ardiansyah (national champion in 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976 and 1988), International Master (MI) Salor Sitanggang (champion in 1986 and 1993), 1972 champion MN Jacobus Sampouw and 1980 champion MN Sutan Aritonang.

The Scheveningen system will be used in the tryouts where each player will meet once in a 75-minute match of 40 moves.

Ututadianto.com reported that only one player of the Dream Team would be selected on Thursday for the ASEAN Open. The chosen player will be sponsored by the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) official in charge of development, Eka Putra Wirya. (yan)