Indonesian chess team wins bronze

Bronze winners: Indonesian chess team members celebrate on the podium after winning the bronze with Vietnamese as the winners and Chinese as runners-up at the fourth Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday. (Courtesy of Kristianus Liem (Percasi))
Indonesian chess team wins bronze
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sports | Sun, July 07 2013, 10:48 AM

The Red-and-White was hoisted on Saturday at Yonsei University International Campus in Incheon, South Korea, after a chess team contributed a bronze medal to the Indonesian delegation at the fourth Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games.

“It may only be a bronze, but pride and excitement have overwhelmed the team,” the team’s manager, Kristianus Liem, said in a release.

Indonesia won the bronze medal after defeating Uzbekistan 2.5-1.5 in the mixed team blitz chess competition.

The team, which comprised GM Susanto Megaranto, FM Hamdani Rudin, WGM Irine Kharisma Sukandar, WIM Medina Warda Aulia and WIM Chelsie Monica Sihite advanced to the semifinals after finishing in fourth place behind China, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

During qualifying, which was played according to the Swiss system in five rounds, Indonesia booked two wins and three draws.

They chalked up wins over Syria (3-1) and Mongolia (3-1), while they drew against Uzbekistan, India and Qatar.

In the knock-out semifinals, Indonesia came up against qualification winner and favorite China.

Unlike in their previous meeting at the rapid chess competition, in which they managed to hold their Chinese opponents to a 2-2 draw, Susanto and colleagues caved, bowing out 0.5-3.5.

The half point was delivered by Medina, who held 2012 junior world champion Guo Qi to a draw. On the other three boards, Susanto lost to GM Ding Liren, Hamdani went down to GM Yu Yangyi and Irine was again unable to hold up against 2010-2012 women’s champion, GM Hou Yifan.

In the other semifinal match, Vietnam brushed aside Uzbekistan.

Vietnam, spearheaded by 2013 world blitz chess champion GM Lee Quang Liem, overcame China 2.5-1.5 in the final to win the gold.

Against Uzbekistan, Medina was the first to give a point by defeating WFM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova.

Susanto followed with his win over GM Anton Fillipov. Hamdani lost to GM Marat Dzhumaev but Indonesia managed to hold onto a point lead after Irine forced a draw in her game against WGM Nafisa Muminova.

Chess was one of 11 sports at the games, which ran from June 26 to July 6 and featured 2,400 athletes and officials from 29 Asian countries.

The Indonesian delegation won one gold, three silver and four bronze medals to finish in 14th place. The gold and silver medals as well as two of the bronze medals were delivered by the swimming team, while the bowling team contributed another bronze.
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