Dreev wins Indonesia Open 2013

The 3rd Indonesia Open Chess Championship took place from 9-18th October at the Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel in Jakarta. The Championship was open for all chess players from federations member of FIDE with Elo Rating minimum 2200. The number of participants is limited only to (approximately) 150 players. Registration is closing on 1st October 2013.

The tournament, an eleven-round Swiss with a time control of 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment for every move, was organized by the Indonesian Chess Federation and offers US $100,000 in prizes. First prize was $20,000, second was $10,000, etc., down to 41st–50th at $500. Women's prizes were 1st $3,000 USD, 2nd $ 2,000, etc. The best junior (born on 1st January 1993 and after) got $2,000, the 2nd $1,500, etc.

We published a report earlier this week, after round three, with some of the photos and interviews given below. For technical reasons the report was deleted, so we reuse part of the material here.

Young girls provide a musical interlude at the opening ceremony

Participant Elisabeth Pähtz taking pictures (left: Antoaneta Stefanova)

The round is under way in the Puri Ratna Ballroom of the Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel

What it feels like to play a very strong GM: IM Rolando Nolte, 2447, vs Nigel Short, 2684 (0-1).
On the right GM Sang Cao, 2485, who lost to Alexander Moiseenko, 2703.

Round five game between Dreev and Ivanisevic ended 1-0 in 56 moves

A key game was in round nine, with top seed GM Alexander Moiseenko (6/8) playing GM Alexey Dreev (6.5/8). It was an engrossing struggle where in the end Moiseenko's extra pawn could not make the difference.

Before the final round Aleksey Dreev was leading with 8.0/10 points, with Alexander Moiseenko in the challenge position with 7.5/10. In round ten Moiseenko had to play Nigel Short, who was at 6.5/10. This is what transpired:

This left the Ukrainian GM Moiseenko (above) in an equal second place with eight
other players, and Aleksey Dreev alone in first, a full point ahead of the field

Top final standings (after eleven rounds)

• Full results of all 108 players

Interview with the winner Aleksey Dreev

What was your target at IOCC?

Aleksey Dreev: I wanted to play well.

You are known as a player with just one opening.

Is that true? No. I just happen to play the same openings a lot but not just one variation alone. I play different opening variations.

After IOCC, are you playing any other tournaments?

I will play in the European Chess Club Cup 2013 held in Rhode Island, Greece from 19-27 October. So from Jakarta, I am going straight there to represent my club. After that I will return to Russia. We have already prepared our team.

There will be a World Chess Championship Match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen next month. What is your prediction?

Anand is motivated and Carlsen is also very strong. Both are great players and have
chances.

How do you find Indonesia?

I have been to Indonesia before. So I would like to see many things and gone to interesting places. But now I have been unable to because there is no time so I have spent all my time in the hotel. Maybe next time I will have the chance.

Interview with Nigel Short

Nigel Short, currently rated 2684, is a well travelled globe trotting Englishman and a frequent visitor to Asia, who is in Indonesia for the third time. So what are the impressions of this still young 48-year-old grandmaster? He answered questions by the bulletin team.

What do you think is the level of IOCC?

Short: This is already a very strong tournament and has the potential to be one of the very best in the world. You have already attracted many top players and have a big prize fund. I have no doubt IOCC will only get stronger.

You are one of the favourites to win IOCC. Do you think playing double rounds some days will be difficult for you? We understand Europeans are more used to single rounds.

Not just European players have difficulty with double rounds. All chessplayers, whether from Africa, Asia or America and we all have the same problem but many open tournaments today have double rounds so we have to accept this. I will say that the World Champions, the elite like Magnus Carlsen, Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, would never do this. In my view, if there are going to be double rounds then perhaps a fair compromise is to have nine rounds and not eleven, as the physical demands on participants will be significantly less. But don't misunderstand, I am happy to be here and taking part in IOCC.

What are your impressions of chess in Indonesia?

I know that chess is developing well in Indonesia with many young players but in my opinion the potential of Indonesia chessplayers is yet to be fully exploited as there are many talents who should be doing much better. IOCC is the grand centrepiece but Indonesian chess also needs to have variety to better cater for all, including having more trainers and many more international tournaments. This is a vast country with a love for chess so there is no reason not to be able to have world beaters.

There will be a major challenge to the current FIDE leadership in the elections next year. So what are your thoughts?

I think it should be time for change after eighteen long years so it might be best for Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to gracefully step down and make way for new leadership.

Interview with Antoaneta Stefanova

GM Antoaneta Stefanova has a rating of 2496, which ranks her first amongst the many women playing in IOCC 2013. The 34-year-old Bulgarian native is a former women's world champion, who last year was again a finalist but the unlucky loser against Ukrainian surprise winner Anna Ushenina.

Stefanova: This is my third time in Indonesia. I like Indonesia and always feel privileged to play in tournaments here so this benefit is continuing. I also really like the people here. This tournament is very strong and interesting because there are many very good players participating.

Bulletin Team: What then would you hope to achieve here?

I never set myself concrete targets in tournaments. I always just try and play good chess and then the results would be there.

Are you feeling jet lag?

Yes, I come from a country that is quite far away, that is of course Bulgaria. But I did come two days earlier and am starting to adjust now.

What do you feel about playing two games a day?

This is going to be a problem for me because I am not used to this at all. But I hope I can manage. Unfortunately there is no free day for recovery as well and it would have been nice to be able to see a bit of Jakarta. I do hope in future the organisers would consider single rounds and a rest day in line with tournaments of equal standing in the world, so that IOCC will be considered to be among the best if not the very best.

What are your aspirations regarding the world championships?

I always play to be the best I can be, but I also understand that with every year there are more and more very strong young players emerging. Last year I was still able to be a World Champion – in Rapid chess. This year I have not been at my best and hope that I will do better next year.

What are you physical and technical preparations before a tournament?

My usual routine is gym, yoga, and swimming, and of course doing chess work. Following the games in tournaments and playing in tournaments is also very important as it keeps up your motivation.

Next year we have a FIDE Election. If you could, who would you vote for?

I think Kirsna Ilyumzhinov has done a lot of good things for chess and has shown a very big commitment over a long time. So I would vote for him for the many positive things he has done.

What do you think of the future prospects of womens chess in Indonesia?

The Indonesian girls are very young and talented. They have trainers and opportunities to play regularly in strong tournaments. This is very important as for a chessplayer to develop,he or she needs to play against strong opponents. In my opinion they should look to play more in mixed events. For sure with their age, talent and the support being given, they have every opportunity to be best.

Here are some of the Indonesian (and a few other) female chess talents:

WIM Chelsie Monica Sihite, Indonesia, rated 2267

WGM Irine Kharisma Sukandar, Indonesia, rated 2363

WIM Warda Aulia Medina, Indonesia, rated 2319

WFM Aa Citra Dewi, Indonesia, rated 2133

Top female player with 6.5/11: IM Elisabeth Pähtz, 2440, Germany

IM Sophie Milliet, France, rated 2399

IM Eesha Karavade, India, rated 2400

Photos by bulletin team

Links Official tournament site All games in zipped PGN You can also use ChessBase 12 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.