Taufik, Tirta in Asian Chess C'ships

Taufik, Tirta in Asian Chess C'ships

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) is sending
its chess players, National Master (MN) Tirta Chandra Purnama and
MN Taufik Halay to the Asian Junior Chess Championships, to be
held from Oct.6 through Oct.16 in Doha, Qatar.

"We hope they will win medals in the under-16 division. It
doesn't have to be the gold as the competition is quite harsh,"
Percasi executive director Eka Putra Wirya said in a written
statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"China and India have good chess players, while the Arab
countries are improving. We must also take into consideration the
former Soviet Union countries, which have a formidable chess
tradition."

Sixteen-year-old Tirta holds the national under-18 title,
while the 14-year old Taufik holds the under-16 title. -- JP