Irwanto secures last Wismilak berth
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
FIDE Master (FM) Irwanto Sadikin took the last berth for the US$6,000 Wismilak International Grandmaster chess tournament after beating Yoseph R. Majella in a two-match, one-day playoff at the F. Sumanti Chess Center here on Sunday.
Irwanto won both matches. He became the eighth Indonesian player to be fielded at the Wismilak tournament in Surabaya, East Java, from July 22 to 28.
The seven other local participants already confirmed for the 12-strong event are Edhi Handoko, Ardiansyah, Danny Juswanto, Hamdani Rudin, Cecep Kosasih, Susanto Megaranto and Andrean Susilodinata.
Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria, Zaw Win Lay, Nay Oo Kyaw Tun, both from Myanmar and Enrique Paciencia of the Philippines are the four foreign players rounding out the field of high-level chess masters.
Irwanto was elated while speaking with The Jakarta Post after his victory. "I am very excited about playing in a grandmaster tournament. I'm glad that I finally get the chance," he said.
Saying that he had before endured "unfair treatment" when it came to selecting players for international tournaments, he applauded the playoff that the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) used to decide Wismilak's last slot.
"I'd like to deliver my gratitude to the organizers for the chance given to me," he said, adding that he would try to win between seven and 7.5 points from a possible eleven at the tournament.
Kristianus Liem, a chess columnist, hailed Irwanto's win as a deserved reward for his 2001 national championship, who has more experience in international tournaments than Yoseph.
"Although he has a lower rating than Yoseph, Irwanto has proved himself to be more tested in international tournaments," he said. Irwanto's rating is 2362 compared to Yoseph's 2383.
The Surabaya chess event will concurrently stage an invitational tournament with 32 local players, competing for a total of Rp 35 million (about US$4,000) in cash prizes.
The 32-strong list, according to Kris was set up based on inviting the top players from each region of the nation, and so will include several qualifiers and a number of invitees.
The qualifiers are top eight players in the men's category, the winners of the women's Under-20 and Under-18 categories at the recently concluded National Chess Championship in Palembang, South Sumatra.
The invitees consist of a representative from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua; five grandmasters and international masters; three women's international masters; four wildcard invitees from the host city; five selections by Percasi; and one player representing the rest of the regions which are considered to be behind other regions of the country in chess development.