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)