Indonesia downs Kazakhstan, England at Chess Olympiad
Indonesia downs Kazakhstan, England at Chess Olympiad
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Indonesia had a very good day at the World Youth Chess Olympiad at the MidValley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, posting back-to-back wins over Kazakhstan in the fourth round and England in the fifth round.
The young Indonesian chess players convincingly defeated Kazakhstan 3-1 in the morning, before carrying on with a stunning 2.5-1.5 victory over England, seeded fifth in the tournament, in the afternoon.
The double win put Indonesia in fourth place overall with 13.5 points. China A and Ukraine ended the day joint leaders with 15 points each, followed by India half a point behind. Iran, on 13 points, rounded out the top five.
The victory over England seemed to be particularly satisfying for the team, with Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hadi A. Wayarabi Alhadar, who had watched the almost two-hour battle, joining in the celebrations.
Team officials -- Machnan Kamaluddin, Eka Putra Wirya and coaches Utut Adianto and Hendry Djamals -- heaped praise and congratulations on their victorious players.
"I promise to return on Sunday. I am eager to see you win again," said the ambassador, patting one of the players, Tirta Chandra, on the back.
After the first three matches, Indonesia and England were all even at 1.5 points heading into the crucial final match.
In the decisive match, Tirta, playing the black pieces, used two of his pawns in a successful endgame that forced Gwain Jones to resign after 63 moves.
In the opening match, Surya Wahyudi put up a brave performance to defeat Timothy Woodward. The youngest member of the Indonesian team looked to be in a losing position until the middle of the game, when he was able to marshal his forces to score a win.
Susanto Megaranto drew with Thomas Rendle in the second match, and Taufik Halay crashed out against David Howell in the third.
Taufik also lost his match against Kazakhstan earlier in the day, accounting for that team's only point.
Taufik has so far failed to produce the kind of form that led chess observers a few years ago to label him as the country's best junior player.
Having struggled to wins in two of the opening three rounds, against Dmitry Stativkin of Kazakhstan Taufik appeared ill at ease and unable to press any advantage.
Hendry Djamals, Indonesia's team captain, singled out Tirta's game against Kazakhstan's Anuar Ismagambetov as the most enterprising match of the fourth round.
Tirta daringly sacrificed two pawns in the middle of the game, earning a double mate on Ismagambetov's king's side. The Kazakh was no less threatening, but Tirta struck first to score a victory after 24 moves.
Susanto and Surya were both helped to victory by questionable moves from their Kazakh opponents.
Susanto opted for his favored Caro-Kann's line, but the position was far from promising up to the middle of the game. Fortunately for him, Olzhas Khamzin trapped himself with overly ambitious moves, promptly swinging the match into Susanto's favor.
The Indonesian ace pushed forward to take one of Khamzin's pawns. Another pawn fell shortly after, and the win was in sight. The game lasted 44 moves.
Surya's victory over Maxat Alaguzov was a roller-coaster affair, with both players using the Caro-Kann's line.
After a few moves in the opening stage, Surya seemed to get the upper hand, but a string of poor moves handed the initiative back to Alaguzov. After his 28th move, Surya looked to be in a losing position, before his opponent unnecessarily exchanged rooks, opening the door for the Indonesian's victory.