Junior chess circuit finals in March

JAKARTA: After being delayed several times, the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) have finally decided to go ahead with the Rider-Enerpac Junior Chess Circuit finals.

The finals will be held from March 8 until March 13 at the Utut Adianto Chess School on Jl. Siliwangi, Rawa Panjang, Bekasi, Jakarta.

The finals will pit 90 junior chess players in four categories, comprising boys' and girls' groups of players aged 10-14 years and 15-18 years. The players are the best from the 2001 Chess Junior Circuit held in Jakarta, Medan, Banjarmasin, Surabaya and Bandung.

"We want to recruit new players for the second Dream Team. Selected players will be groomed in our long-term training center, just like the first Dream Team," Percasi development head Eka Putra Wirya said in a written statement.

"Therefore, current Dream Team players will not take part in the finals. They will have an exhibition match against the Jakarta inter-club champion, BNI '46 club."

The current Dream Team members are (National Master) MN Susanto Megaranto, 15; MN Tirta Chandra, 17; MN Taufik Halay, 15; and Percasi Master Andrean Susilodinata, 12.

The finals will use the nine-round Swiss system with 90 minutes of thinking time per player.

Percasi will award the MN title to each age-group winner as well as prize money totaling Rp 6 million (US$595). -- JP