Upi sets sights on becoming first RI woman grandmaster

JAKARTA (JP): Upi Darmayanti Tamin is training hard in an effort to realize her liftetime ambition: to become Indonesia's first woman chess grandmaster.

" I have been training six hours regularly every day for the past two months in preparation for a series of international tournaments in Europe next May.

"The tournaments will give me every opportunity to achieve my ambition to become the country's first woman chess grandmaster," Upi said yesterday.

She said she was determined not to blow the chance. "I cannot afford to fare badly in the events because I have fixed my eyes firmly on attaining the grandmaster title. It's now or never."

The 25-year-old Asian champion and Indonesia's No. One woman chess player has been under the tutelage of Grandmaster Utut Adianto, International Master Ruben Gunawan and another Indonesian Master Edhi Handoko, the country's top three male players, for the past three weeks at the Enerpac chess school in Jakarta.

Upi said tremendous moral support from her parents has further strengthened her optimism and confidence that the coveted grandmaster title is within her reach.

"In fact my parents have been the driving force behind my chess career for years," said Upi, whose current elo rating is 2,175.

She said that since the Indonesian Chess Association sought to make her the country's first women's grandmaster last year, she has made remarkable headway in her chess technique, both in her attacking patterns and in defense.

He cited her performances at the 32nd Chess Olympiad in Yerevan, Armenia, last September, and last month's Asian championships as what she described as "clear examples of her significant progress."

In the Olympics, Upi, who has a penchant for the conservative Sicilian defense, managed to collect 6.5 points out of a possible 10. At the Asian meet, she emerged as the undefeated champion by amassing 8.5 points out of a possible 10.

Pending an official decision by the international chess federation, FIDE, Upi's elo rating will be increased by 40 on the strength of her title success in the Asian championships.

To further polish and hone her chess skills, the Indonesian Chess Association will soon hire a reputed Russian coach, Nikolai Andrianov, prior to her participation in the European tournaments. (bas)