Utut to take on Hungary's Polgar
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)