Upi lost 3-1 to Alexandria

JAKARTA (JP): Upi Darmayana Tamin, projected to be Indonesia's first woman grandmaster, lost 3-1 to Georgia's woman grandmaster Nana Alexandria in their four-round chess duel which ended here on Thursday.

Playing like a novice, Upi, whose elo rating is 2,135, lost the first two matches on June 9 and June 10. Apparently being afraid of another loss, Upi, despite her good position, quickly accepted Nana's offer of a draw at the 18th move on Tuesday.

After a day off on Wednesday, the two resumed battle on Thursday. This time it was Upi, again despite her better position, who offered a draw at the 20th move, which six-time Olympic champion Nana, whose elo rating is 2,300, quickly accepted.

Nana is currently playing Indonesia's 1991 Asian Junior Champion, Maria Lucia, in Surabaya as of yesterday until Monday. On Tuesday, Nana will play 1994 national woman champion Lisa Lumongdong in Jakarta. (arf)