Favorite Evi Lindiawati stays in second place at junior chess meet
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Evi Lindiawati, a member of the national team at the Turkey 2000 Chess Olympics, won just three points after four rounds of the Rp 6 million (US$600) National Junior Chess Tournament now underway in Bekasi, West Java.
After a perfect start on Saturday, winning two games on the opening day, Evi, 17 years old from Jakarta, only managed a mediocre performance in the 15-18 category in Sunday's matches, which were overshadowed by tragic news.
Mahnan Kamaludin, chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi), was mourning the loss of his wife Aniswati Kamaludin, who died from cancer. Present at the funeral at Tanah Kusir Cemetery were Percasi's executive director, Eka Putra Wirya, and Percasi's chief talent scout, Grand Master (GM) Utut Adianto.
Evi was held to a draw by Sulung Wahyuningsih of Central Java in the third round and Suharyani of West Java in the fourth round to stay in second place behind Sulung, who registered three-and-a-half points. The runaway leader booked a win over Fitria of Jakarta in the fourth round.
"The results from the first four games were beyond our expectations. Evi has been inconsistent in her play. Sulung and Suharyani are undoubtedly good players given their national records, but, as a player with international experience, Evi should have been able to overcome the two," Kristianus Liem, a chess columnist, told The Jakarta Post.
In the 10-14 age category, Fitria of South Kalimantan and Irene of South Sumatra were joint leaders with three-and-a-half points each. The two drew in the fourth round.
Meanwhile, Ferry Ferdiansyah of Riau and Aris Haryanto of West Java, who agreed to a draw in their match of the boys' 10-14 category on the day, shared top place on the provisional standings, each also with three-and-a-half points.
Half a point behind them were seven players led by former national player Hastomo.
Also at the top with equal points were Deddy A. Rafi of North Sumatra and Ravi Octaviana of West Java in the boys' 15-18 field. A. Fuadin of Central Kalimantan followed behind with three points.