Utut to compete in three grandmaster c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Grandmaster Utut Adianto has been invited to compete in three grandmaster tournaments in India and the Philippines.

Utut will first compete in Bombay, India, from March 5 to March 17 and two tournaments in the Philippines, from March 17 to March 30 and from April 1 to April 10.

The tournament in India is in commemoration of the 50th golden anniversary of India. The two tournaments in the Philippines are the Far East Bank and the Subic Bay championships.

Utut told The Jakarta Post Friday that the three tournaments mean a lot to him as they could improve his ranking and elo rating.

"The three tournaments could improve my ranking as well as my elo rating. Of course, I must win as much as possible and try to avoid any defeats," Utut said.

Utut is ranked 50th in the world and has an elo rating of 2,615.

He was invited to the three tournaments following his success as a super grandmaster. Utut will receive appearance fees for the tournaments, but declined to mention how much.

"I don't want to discuss the appearance fees as my intention of course is to win them all. The most important thing is I have to give my best performance,"

Five grandmasters and seven international masters will participate in the Indian meet, while five grandmasters and five international masters will participate in the Far East Bank tournament.

"The three tournaments are very tough as most of the great chess players are from Russia. They are difficult to beat," Utut said.

Utut will leave for India on March 2 and then go straight to the Philippines for the first match on March 17. "After I compete in India, I will go straight to the Philippines and compete on the day of the match." (lnt)