Susanto, Andrean set for world chess event
Susanto, Andrean set for world chess event
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) has
picked Susanto Megaranto and Andrean Susilodinata to represent
the country at the Junior World Chess Championship, which will be
held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain, from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3.
The number of players is three less than that of the 2000
squad, which saw the participation of Taufik Halay, Tirta Chandra
and Ferry Ferdiansyah.
"Taufik was looking shaky today. Tirta remains the best player
in his category here, but he seems unable to stand the pressure
of the competition," Kristianus Liem told The Jakarta Post on
Monday.
Kristianus will lead the team to Spain. This will be his third
trip as the junior team's coach.
Susanto was a bronze medalist in the 1999 championship in the
U-12 category. The 2000 edition, still in Oropesa del Mar, it was
Andrean, a U-10 contender, who stood out among his teammates by
finishing seventh.
Andrean, who will compete in the U-12 category, is likely to
take revenge on FM Nguyen Truong Son, the world champion, whom
the Indonesian failed to overcome in a duel held in Jakarta a few
weeks after their Spanish trip last year.
Susanto, who moves up to the U-14 category this time around,
is undoubtedly the nation's best player and his performance has
been improving, with his the latest achievement being breaking
into the top 10 at the just-concluded Asian Cup in Brunei.
At the tournament, which also featured players from world's
chess powerhouses like England, Australia and Hungary, Susanto
collected six points to push him one step closer to attaining a
FIDE Master title.
Susanto, who is the only male teenage player in the national
team, is currently preparing for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games next
month in which chess will be contested as an exhibition event.
Two warm-up matches against local clubs have been arranged for
the team, with BNI players being their first sparring partners to
beat on Sept. 1. The second match against Gunadarma has been
scheduled for Sept. 3.
The team members for the KL trip include GM Edhi Handoko, IM
Danny Juswanto, FM Irwanto Sadikin, Salor Sitanggang, Susanto
Megaranto (male), Upi Damayanti Tamin, Ai Zakiah, Tuti Rahayu and
Evi Lindiawati. (01)