Utut to take on Hungary's Polgar

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's number one chess player Utut Adianto is to take on Judith Polgar of Hungary, the first ever female grandmaster, in a one-day exhibition duel on Dec. 10. It is to be aired live on television here.

Kristianus Liem, of the organizing committee, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the planned clash, the first of its kind in Indonesia, is aimed at promoting chess a spectator sport to match the popularity of soccer or tennis.

Liem said the duel would consist of four games of rapid chess over 25 minutes and two blindfolded matches, the favorite game of Polgar, over the same period of time.

In blindfolded chess, players do not see the board. All they do is just saying their moves and an operator will move the pieces accordingly.

Liem said that the total time needed for the duel, 50 minutes, is shorter than a soccer match and is considered ideal for television.

"We are still seeking a sponsor for this event. We are also still negotiating with several private television stations," Liem said, declining to mention which stations he meant.

Polgar is scheduled to arrive here on Dec. 7. The organizers have yet to name the venue. The winner will receive US$10,000, the loser $6,000. In addition, Polgar will also receive an appearance fee, whose amount Liem was unable to disclose.

Utut, when contacted by the Post yesterday, said he has no qualms about taking on a woman. "After all, Polgar has already played the world's best male chess players such as Kasparov and Karpov. Why should I avoid playing her just because she is a woman? Chess knows no gender differences."

"Even if I lose to her, why should I be ashamed? Winning and losing is part of the game," Utut said.

Polgar has an elo rating of 2,665, the same as Germany's Arturo Sukov and Russia's Boris Gelfand, and ranks between 16th and 18th in the world. Utut, on the other hand, has an elo rating of 2,605 and ranks between 55th and 64th in the world.

As an exhibition event, the duel will not be sanctioned by the world governing body FIDE and will not affect either Utut's or Polgar's elo rating. (arf)