Percasi to dismiss cheats from Olympics team

Percasi to dismiss cheats from Olympics team

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) will
not hesitate to punish players it finds cheating in the selection
tournament for the Chess Olympics national teams.

Chief of the tournament's organizing committee, Eka Putra
Wirya, said on Tuesday that the stern measure was need to improve
the quality of the players and to attract more sponsors.

He said some chess players, including top names, were caught
throwing games for money in three tournaments this year, namely
the Bali Open in April, the Indonesia Chess League in Surabaya in
May and the National Games (PON) in East Java in June.

"Any players, including top ones, who are involved in the
fraud will be disqualified. He or she will be out of the team."

"We have to declare war against the trade in matches. Only a
coward does such a thing. I hope our top players can teach their
juniors to play fair. But it will be difficult because such a
mentality is deeply rooted in our nation," said Eka, who is also
official in charge of player's development at Percasi.

Sixteen female and 24 male players are taking part in the
selection tournament, which was inaugurated by Percasi's chairman
Machnan Kamaluddin at F. Sumanti Chess House in Central Jakarta.

The tournament, which ends on Aug. 10, is using a knock-out
system in the men's event and the seven-match Swiss system in the
women's. Players will be competing for Rp 19 million (US$2,100)
in prize money.

Two women's and four men's team will be picked to join the
Olympics team, which is taking place in Istanbul from Oct. 28 to
Nov. 14.

The females will join International Master Upi D. Tamin and
National Master Ai Zakiah, while the men will join Grand Master
(GM) Utut Adianto and International Master (IM) Cerdas Barus.

Jeffry Geovanni, owner of the Bali Jeff Chess Center in
Denpasar, Bali, is the team manager.

Indonesia first competed in the Chess Olympics in 1960. The
men's team recorded its best achievement when it finished 19th in
the in Dubai 1986. Ten years later, the women's team finished
11th in Yerevan, Armenia.

Percasi's deputy secretary-general Hendri Jamal said seven
chess players had been disqualified for cheating at the Enerpac
Fair Play Championships in Bekasi in March.

"They have been banned from competing in all events for about
two months. But if anyone is caught cheating in the selection
tournament, we will bar them from all competition for as many as
two years," said Hendri, who chairs Percasi's disciplinary
commission.

He said that at least four players would be punished for
cheating in the Bali Open and at PON. He failed to name the
players, however. (ivy)