JAPFA in Jakarta (2/2)

by Alina l'Ami
5/5/2015 – The Jakarta GM invitational was everything the organizers and sponsors could hope for and more. In spite of the presence of massive Elo favorites such as Sergey Tiviakov, the event was a resounding success for the locals, considering the overall winner was Sean Winshand Cuhendi, scoring a GM norm, while Medina Aulia scored an IM norm. Report, pictures and games.

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The tournament banners

Opening ceremony, with all the officials

From left to right: Ign. Herry Wibowo (JAPFA), Imam Nahrawi (Sports Minister), Mr. Hamidi
(National Sports Committee of Indonesia), GM Utut Adianto (Indonesian Parliament)

The first move

The local fans and organizers alike had yet another reason to be proud, as their hopes and expectations paid off: Medina Warda Aulia scored her second IM norm, too!

Getting acquainted with the Indonesian culture - respect to the elderly...yes, I am not 18 anymore.

Sergey Tiviakov

Winning with opposite colored bishops

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.16"] [Round "2.3"] [White "Muhammad Lutfi, Ali"] [Black "Sergei, Tiviakov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B01"] [WhiteElo "2401"] [BlackElo "2662"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/b7/P1B5/8/4K1pk/5p2/8/8 w - - 0 67"] [PlyCount "10"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {A very instructive but difficult moment for the Indonesian FM, when facing the highest rated player in the tournament. With a tough endgame to defend and a ticking clock; this is where things went out of hand:} 67. Kf4 $2 {The most natural way to proceed - bring the king into the game and towards the enemy's pawns! Just that here it was only for a brief moment, as the Dutch Gm promptly replied, sending the white king back home. Instead, the drawish mechanism (which is far from being easy, especially with 30 sec on the clock) could have been achieved with:} (67. Bb5 {the key square is f1, which should be kept under strict supervision, while the white king will keep an eye on the black pawns} Kg3 68. Kf5 $11 {and strangely enough, Black cannot make progress because of the little pawn from a6.}) ({The neutral} 67. Bd7 {would be fine as well, although White still has to be very careful, not to step on a mine.} f2 68. Bb5 Kh3 69. Bf1+ Kg3 70. Kf5 Kf3 71. Bb5 g3 72. Bc6+ Ke2 73. Kg4 {although not forced, this could be a sample line of how a draw would have been achieved; endgames are never easy...}) 67... Bb8+ $1 68. Ke4 Kh3 69. Ke3 Ba7+ 70. Kf4 f2 71. Bb5 {Too late... White's pieces lost coordination and the black pawns cannot be stopped anymore from rolling.} g3 0-1

Classic tactic

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.18"] [Round "5.3"] [White "Sergei, Tiviakov"] [Black "Tirta Chandra, Purnama"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2662"] [BlackElo "2393"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r1bq1rk1/ppp2pp1/2n2n1p/2bpp3/4P3/1BPP1N2/PP2QPPP/RNB2RK1 b - - 0 8"] [PlyCount "8"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {Another small example from the highest rated player, Sergey Tiviakov, who's experience in recognizing chess patterns prevailed once again:} 8... Re8 $2 { Going straight into the trap subtly set by the Dutch GM...} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. d4 $1 {As Sergey said, this is a typical tactic for these positions, so keep a vigilant eye at all times!} Bb6 ({Obviously} 10... exd4 {would run into} 11. Qc4 $1 $18) 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 {A pawn has fallen, which was enough for White to bring home the point without any further concerns.} 1-0

I highly doubt that Winshand's and Medina's success should be based on...lack of jet lag. It has more to do with their hard work and the traditional chess culture, which is mind blowing in Jakarta. I was, once again, in total cultural shock! I knew from two years ago that parks are full of chess players, that squares become improvised tournament halls at night but what I didn't know was that chess is actually really, truly, genuinely perceived as being “cool” and the chess player even “cooler”!

Sean Winshand Cuhendi

No doubt that the Indonesian media was all over the JAPFA GM event, which doesn't happen often in other countries. In Jakarta, the press conference prior to the tournament for example, gathered as many journalists as the room could hold.

A good start

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.15"] [Round "1.6"] [White "Winshand Cuhendi, Sean"] [Black "G.N, Gopal"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B48"] [WhiteElo "2428"] [BlackElo "2577"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "2r1k2r/1q2b1p1/5p2/3QpP1p/1p2R1nP/1P6/P5P1/1KNRB3 b k - 0 29"] [PlyCount "7"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {There is always this saying, widely spread in the chess circles: "winner's luck", when it seems that the stars are aligned for the one who will eventually grab the gold, despite of the sometimes very tough moments...I don't believe in it, but for those who do, this would be the perfect example to illustrate it.} 29... Qa6 $4 ({Had the Indian GM decided to exchange queens with} 29... Qxd5 30. Rxd5 Nh6 $17 {perhaps the outcome of this tournament would have been different for both players, we will never know... But quite often the 1st round can become crucial, not only because of the result but also due to various psychological reasons: confidence, which brings with it a good night sleep, which gives more confidence...or the other way around, going into a vicious circle from where it is not so easy to escape.}) 30. Qd7+ Kf7 31. Bxb4 Rhe8 32. Rd6 $1 Qf1 {And the Indian GM resigned, there is nothing to do after} (32... Qf1 33. Re1 Qxg2 34. Qe6+ Kf8 35. Rd7 Qc2+ 36. Ka1 $18) 1-0

Sophie Millet facing the future champion

GM Gopal GN

The other factor that opened my eyes this time was the traffic. Yes, the horrendous traffic, a giant octopus with proportions out of this world. One can hardly imagine the chaos on the streets, particularly in rush hour, when Jakarta turns into a madhouse. It was quite an experience to move around this jumble of cars, scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, people, cats, vendors, where you can find whatever your mind could think of: food, shoes, sewing machines, gasoline, drinks etc.

Nguyen Anh Dung

A model game

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.16"] [Round "2.6"] [White "Tirta Chandra, Purnama"] [Black "Anh Dung, Nguyen"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D10"] [WhiteElo "2393"] [BlackElo "2464"] [PlyCount "62"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {Another model game that I personally enjoyed a lot was the technical encounter between the local IM and the Vietnamese GM, who finished it off with an elegant tactic. Nguyen had been leading the entire tournament but losing the last round was of no help...nevertheless, his classical and harmonious way of playing chess was thoroughly enjoyed by the local public and, most probably, much less by his victims...} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. a4 e6 6. Nf3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Ne5 Nc6 9. Be2 Bd6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. O-O O-O 12. Qc2 cxd4 13. exd4 h6 14. a5 Re8 15. Bf3 Ng4 16. Bxg4 Bxg4 17. h3 Bd7 18. f4 c5 19. Qf2 cxd4 20. Qxd4 Rc8 21. Qxd5 Bc6 22. Qh5 Bb8 23. Rd1 Qf6 24. Kh1 Rcd8 25. Rf1 Rd3 26. Kh2 Bd6 27. Rb1 g6 28. Qxh6 Qf5 29. Ra1 Rxc3 30. bxc3 Re2 31. Rg1 Qd5 0-1

I felt I had to use my front eyes, as well as those in the back of my head and also produce new ones on the sides (humanity is a versatile species, indeed), otherwise I was bound to fall in the nearest pit or bump into someone or something. At least this was my initial impression, when I was rather scared to cross a street, feeling like a frog from these computer games, when you had to move from A to B without getting crushed.

Sophie Milliet

Medina Warda Aulia

Although my fears were somewhat justified, I was surprised to discover the logic in this mayhem! It was not the jungle rules but the...polite, calm and peaceful way to proceed in this craziness. I never thought it was possible, therefore I mumbled once: “What a waste of time with this traffic, how do people live their lives?!” - and got puzzled looks back, which made me realize I was the one in need of a fix... I was the one who needed to learn to “let it be”.

Irene Sukandar

Student beats teacher

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.17"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Irine Kharisma, Sukandar"] [Black "Sergei, Tiviakov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B01"] [WhiteElo "2415"] [BlackElo "2662"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {Perhaps this was the moment when the tournament fate went into the negative for the one who was most entitled to claim the 1st position...It is never easy to face your students and certainly this was the case for Sergey as well, when he had to decide upon his opening moves against Irene. "I showed her so many things in Scandinavian, explained how to combat my own repertoire...what shall I do?!" The Dutch GM decided to take risks and go all in to somehow win with the black pieces. But this strategy backfired and the student exceeded the teacher: a model game played by Irene, so sit back, relax and enjoy!} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 c6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nd7 7. Nc4 Qf6 8. d5 Ne5 9. dxc6 bxc6 10. Qe2 Nxc4 11. Qxc4 Qe6+ 12. Qxe6 Bxe6 13. Bf4 g6 14. Ba6 Bc8 15. Be2 Bh6 16. Bf3 Bb7 17. Bxh6 Nxh6 18. O-O-O Nf5 19. Rhe1 Rd8 20. Ne4 O-O 21. Nc5 Ba8 22. g4 Nh4 23. Bh1 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 f5 25. g5 f4 26. Be4 Kf7 27. Rd7 a5 28. Ra7 Nf5 29. Nd7 Rd8 30. Bxf5 gxf5 31. Nb6 Kg6 32. Nxa8 e5 33. Nb6 e4 34. Nc4 Kxg5 35. Rxh7 f3 36. h4+ Kg6 37. Rc7 f4 38. Rxc6+ Kf5 39. Nd6+ Rxd6 40. Rxd6 e3 41. h5 1-0

The locals have long accustomed themselves with the streets' congestion, so instead of becoming nervous and angry they choose to talk to each other and to polish their sense of humour. This is helped by the fact that during rush hour a car must have a minimum of three people on board. Yes, the people in Jakarta are happy fellows, even though sometimes circumstances would entitle them to feel or behave differently.

Farid Firman Syah

Creative tactics

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.21"] [Round "9.6"] [White "Firman Syah, Farid"] [Black "Irine Kharisma, Sukandar"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E43"] [WhiteElo "2422"] [BlackElo "2415"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "2r2rk1/1b2qppp/pp1b1n2/2ppN3/3P1PPQ/1PRBP3/PB5P/5RK1 w - - 0 18"] [PlyCount "9"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {How would you continue with White?} 18. Bf5 $1 cxd4 19. g5 $1 {I liked a lot this sequence of moves which brough White a full piece and the point soon after.} Nh5 (19... dxc3 20. gxf6 $18) 20. Rxc8 Bxc8 21. Bxc8 Rxc8 22. Qxh5 $18 1-0

Your favourite Romanian: Alina L'Ami

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.16"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Alina, L'Ami"] [Black "Winshand Cuhendi, Sean"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E63"] [WhiteElo "2397"] [BlackElo "2428"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "5rk1/2P4p/pp1p2p1/3Nb3/2P5/1P2Pp1q/P2Q4/5RK1 b - - 0 29"] [PlyCount "18"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {I did my utmost to defend this game, I calculated, fought back, scratched my head in search for better ideas....in the end I honestly thought this is it, I should resign soon...I could lie and say that everything was planned, that I set a devilish trap for my opponent, but truth be told...things just happened. We both missed an incredible resource which is, at the same time, unusual and extremely beautiful!} 29... f2+ {played without thought, as the move came automatically from a series of previous more or less forced moves, so this should have been the end of the line, followed by my signature under a zero... but never say never!} ({Instead} 29... Kg7 $1 {as we both agreed in the post mortem analysis, would have kept all the threats alive and prevented any possible counter chances.}) 30. Rxf2 Bh2+ 31. Kh1 Bg3+ 32. Kg1 Bxf2+ 33. Qxf2 Rxf2 34. Kxf2 {Surprise! The position is draw! This is where becomes clear why the black king was better placed on g7. Now White has the threat of c8=Q, Ne7+ or Nxb6 followed by c8=Q and there is nothing Black can do besides deliver perpetual check. Draw!! Pretty, isn't it?!} Qf5+ 35. Ke2 Qc2+ 36. Kf3 Qd1+ 37. Kf2 Qd2+ 38. Kf3 1/2-1/2

Throwing away points

[Event "Grandmaster Turnament 2015"] [Site "Jakarta"] [Date "2015.04.19"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Firman Syah, Farid"] [Black "Alina, L'Ami"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E62"] [WhiteElo "2422"] [BlackElo "2397"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {In spite of the result and the missed chance, I am happy with the quality of this game and the original ideas I pulled from my chess hat.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. c4 c6 7. Nc3 Bf5 8. Nh4 Be6 9. b3 d5 10. Qd3 Na6 11. e3 c5 $1 {Exclamation mark not necessarily for its correctness but for its courage and for the feeling it brought: joy.} ({These computers are awful...I checked with an engine and I had an even stronger continuation:} 11... dxc4 12. bxc4 Nd7 {with all kind of threats: Ne5 or Nb6 and there is no way White can hold on to all his pawns.}) 12. Ba3 Qa5 $1 {The point. When I played c5 I calculated my way out through all the lines and considered the final position to be compensation for Black. It turned out I was right!} 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Qxa3 16. Bxb7 Nb4 17. Qb5 Rab8 18. Nf3 cxd4 19. Nd2 Nc2 20. Rac1 Qxa2 21. Nc4 {The moves are not forced, of course, but they show the natural course of a game: pressure from one side, difficult decisions, less good moves, more pressure and 0-1. At least this is how it should have been, considering the following:} dxe3 22. fxe3 Nxe3 $1 {Nice piece of calculation, no?!} 23. Rf2 ({Obviously} 23. Nxe3 {runs into} Bd4 24. Rce1 Qd2) 23... a6 $1 {the key!} 24. Qb6 Nxc4 25. Rxc4 Qa1+ 26. Rf1 Qb2 27. Rf2 Qb1+ 28. Kg2 Qd3 29. Rf3 Qd2+ 30. Rf2 {two pawns up, I should be technically winning...but playing the 2nd round in the day I decided to make things "easier" for myself and played:} Qd5+ 31. Bxd5 Rxb6 {Given I had more time on my clock and the 2 extra pawns, I considered this to be rather...smooth way to victory. But it was not.} 32. Rc7 Bf6 {The setup I chose is already showing I am going astray...instead, I should have played e6, a5, Bc3 and then start some operations on the king's side.} 33. Ra2 Rd6 34. Bc4 Ra8 35. Rb7 Bd4 $2 { Yes...this is how I threw with points and half points into my opponents during the tournament.} 36. Rxe7 Rf6 {About time to offer a draw and go wash my face.} 1/2-1/2

Purnama Tirta Chandra

Ali Muhammad Lutfi

Instead, they choose to live the moment and smile the stress away. A small sample would be through babies' names. If Alina is a rather common one, a more original choice would be “Wildan”. And even more original is the way the parents pronounce it, smiling at the thought that yes, indeed, their boy is much more than 'well done'! Another creative example is Mr. Wrong's, who was pondering upon naming his child “Something” - I just love these people!

Antonio Rogelio Jr

If ever in doubt with my chess skills, I will remember the Javanese wisdom in counting on good fortune and thinking positively: “Ada air, ada ikan” - where there is water, there is fish. Even in the water of a coconut...

Hard workers! - behind the scenes

Javanese dances during closing ceremony

The happy winner!


Links

You can use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.

Alina is an International Master and a very enthusiastic person in everything she does. She loves travelling to the world's most remote places in order to play chess tournaments and report about them here on ChessBase! As chance would have it Alina is also an excellent photographer.

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