GM Edhi through to second round

JAKARTA: Indonesian Grand Master (GM) Edhi Handoko, who won the Japfa Chess Festival on Monday, carried on to beat Fernando Silalahi to take a place in the second round of the grand final of the Gunadarma Chess League here on Tuesday.

The first round featured 32 players who had battled through the preceding eight rounds of the league. With a KO system being used, 15 players, including 16-year-old Susanto Megaranto, FIDE Master (FM) Irwanto Sadikin and FM Awam Wahono advanced to the second round of the tournament.

The three defeated their respective opponents 2-0. Sixteen contests will be played Wednesday.

A total of Rp 35 million (around US$4,000) in cash prizes is up for grabs, with the winner pocketing Rp 8 million. --JP