Top chess player Utut to get foreign coach
Top chess player Utut to get foreign coach
JAKARTA (JP): One tough tournament in Madras, India, is
insufficient early-year practice for Indonesia's top chess player
Utut Adianto who is bidding to better his world ranking this
year, according to his manager Eka Putra Wirya.
He needs to further his skills under the tutelage of a foreign
coach before participating in several major events starting in
July, Eka explained.
The manager said he had offered the coaching job to American
grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, the second to two former world
champion contenders Victor Korchnoi and Jan Timman.
"The negotiations are underway. I hope to hear Seirawan's
answer next week," said Eka, who was elected the best prime mover
of 1995 by the Jakarta Sports Journalists Association on
Thursday.
Eka refused to disclose how much the deal would cost him. "We
haven't talked about that thus far. But for me money is
manageable," said Eka, an importer and distributor of tools and
dyes.
If the one-month deal is completed, Seirawan will start
working in mid-June. The American currently holds an elo rating
of 2,635.
Utut will play in the Biel Masters in Switzerland in July, the
Donner Invitational in Holland in August and the world
championships at the end of the year.
Utut was scheduled to undergo an overseas stint under the
auspices of Hungarian grandmaster Lajos Portisch, but the former
nine-times world champion challenger declined Eka's offer.
Unbeaten Utut finished second in the Cakti Finance
invitational tournament in Madras behind English grandmaster
Anthony Miles with 8.5 points on Thursday. The result improved
Utut's elo rating from 2,610 to 2,615.
In the final game on Thursday, Utut shrugged off playing with
the disadvantageous black pieces to beat Sulaeman Lovlu of
Bangladesh. Miles also wrapped the 11-round event with a win,
beating another Bangladeshi Niaz Murshed to top the standings
with 9 points.
"In general, the result is satisfying, because we had expected
Utut would have just maintained his current elo rating of 2,610,"
Eka said.
"But Utut could have won the tournament if he did not lose his
concentration halfway through games."
Utut took the sole lead early on until the ninth game which
saw him wasting the advantageous white pieces for an upset draw
with Babu Sudhakar of India. Miles pulled ahead in the 10th game,
and, despite Utut's brilliant play on Thursday, maintained top
gear to the end.
Eka said that a foreign coach will help Utut develop new
variants through discussions and practice. "Most players who are
now ranked among top 20 in the world hired coaches on their way
to reaching their current status," Eka said. (amd)