Utut drills Andrean for chess duel

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Grand Master Utut Adianto is training young chess player Andrean Susilodinata ahead of a duel with 2000 junior champion Son Nguyen Ngoc Troung of Vietnam from March 10 to March 15 at Sari Pan Pacific hotel.

Utut told a media briefing that Andrean had a fifty-fifty chance to win over the Vietnamese youth, who became the under-12 Asian champion in India in January.

He said that he and fellow chess player Edhi Handoko had instructed Andrean for a month. Andrean finished seventh in the 2000 junior championships in Spain.

"With his current achievements, Andrean is an underdog compared to Ngoc Troung, who is an all-round player. But Andrean still has a chance," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said that both young players would play six matches which included two matches of 25-minute sessions of rapid chess. The winner of the duel match will pocket US$500 while the runner-up will receive half that amount. (ivy)