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