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)