Indonesian wins Asian women chess

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's leading female chess player, Upi Darmayana Tamin, won the 6th Asian Women's Championship in Madras, India Tuesday and is now eying her grandmaster title.

The 25-year-old player, who led Indonesia to finish 10th in the Chess Olympics in Armenia last month, scored 8.5 victory points from the 11 games. Former junior Asia champion Upi tied with Indian hope Safira Shanaz, but clinched the title on the tiebreak ruling.

"The Indonesian Chess Association considers Upi a suitable candidate for the grandmaster title after watching her consistent play in India," the association's secretary-general Djamil Djamal said. (amd)