Chess success as Indonesia scoops four gold medals
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post | Sports | Thu, December 19 2013, 8:56 AM
The success of Indonesia’s chess team, which has won four gold medals at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar, has led to officials back home saying the best results are yet to come.
The team departed with the modest target of winning two golds given the field it faced, which included favorite Vietnam.
“I’m not surprised. It’s the fruits of our efforts of the past five years,” Utut Adianto, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) told the media on Wednesday.
Utut was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference on the fifth edition of the So Nice Christmas Cup 2013, an annual blitz chess competition.
“Actually, the windfall was not expected at the SEA Games but at the Olympics, where we will try for a top 10 position,” said Utut, the former chess star turned lawmaker.
The pairing of Susanto Megaranto and Muhammad Luthfi delivered the fourth gold for the team after they won the men’s transfer chess event in Naypyitaw on Wednesday.
It was Susanto’s second gold, with his first secured in the random chess event. The other two golds were won by Irene Kharisma Sukandar in the blitz and rapid chess.
“Susanto and Luthfi performed flawlessly, scoring 12.5 points from 13 rounds in a round-robin competition. The only draw came in a match against fellow Indonesians Farid Firman Syah and Masruri Rahman,” team manager Kristianus Liem said.
Utut said the team deserved praise for what it had done in Myanmar.
“We’re very happy with their achievement,” Utut said.
He did not rule out giving bonuses to successful players, but warned that bonuses should not be the team’s motivation.
“What’s important is how we can motivate the team further to achieve at the highest level,” he said.
“We should think about how Susanto can become an international player who will be invited to several tournaments,” he added.
Praise for the team also came from Percasi chairman Hashim Djojohadikusumo who hailed its exploits as an inspiring achievement.
“After seven days of competition in Naypyitaw, the chess team has impressed by winning four gold, two silver and four bronze medals. This surpasses the two-gold target,” he said in a release.
Utut said Percasi owed the team’s success partly to sponsors that were committed to organizing chess tournaments, one of which was the blitz chess competition to be held over the weekend.
“They’ve been giving their whole-hearted support,” she said.
The two-day competition on Saturday and Sunday provides an approximate total of Rp 50 million (US$4,100) in cash prizes.
It will be played over 11 rounds, with players allowed only five minutes of control time.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
This is fantastic.