Local chess queens to challenge top kings

JAKARTA (JP): Three of Indonesia's best women chess players and three male juniors will be put in a group to oppose six top male players in an elo rating match, starting from April 23 to May 7 here.

Cholid Ghozali, vice chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association, told a press conference yesterday that three national women chess players have gathered with the juniors to improve the skills of the women players.

The match is replacing an international tournament between the three women national masters and Nana Alexandria of Georgia, scheduled for this month.

Group A, comprising Upi Darmayana Tamin, whose elo rating is 2,135, Lisa K Lumongdong (2,105), Maria Ratna Lucia (2,190), Jansen Lokananta, Erwin Yulianto and Anjas Novita, will play their group B male counterparts Oscar Iman Santoso, Eko Supriyono, Novian Siregar, Asrul Aray, Lauw Seng Hong and Tommy Supriyanto, who each has an elo rating of 2,300, in the Scheveningen 10-round system match. Each player of group B will meet his or her opponent twice.

Commenting on the change of plan, Cholid said: "Since Alexandria has a very tight schedule, we will replace the match with this event. But she will come to oppose our best women from June 7 to 22," he said.

Upi is scheduled to meet Alexandria first in Jakarta, Maria will have the next turn to meet the Georgian in Surabaya and Lisa will be the last rival for Alexandria. All three contests will be four-round matches.

SEA Games

Meanwhile, Cholid again launched his idea of including chess in the upcoming 19th Southeast Asian Games here.

"Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines and Vietnam are our only worthy opponents," he said.

Cholid believes that if the National Sports Council agrees to include chess, then the sport will contribute 11 gold medals for the country.

Eight of the medals will be given to players who collect the highest points on board one, board two, board three and board four for each gender. Two medals will go to the winners of the men's and women's teams, while the other medal will go to the overall winner.

As for the 14th National Games (Sept. 9 to Sept. 20), which he expects to feature chess for the first time, the qualifying rounds have been completed, Cholid said.(05).