We might contemplate the idea of chess bringing people together but seeing the whole lot of chess players spontaneously acting as one is a slightly different story.

Digital friends before and now for real! Happy to have finally met Sagar and Amruta

Good times and crazy friends do make the best tournaments!
"I am not looking for trouble..."
"What a horrible way to live!"
The witty lines taken from a recent movie could be perfectly applicable for our chess adventures. Coming to Jakarta straight from Mexico, with a 12 hour time difference was asking for a bit of trouble. For other players, having zero time for pre-tournament preparation was also asking for trouble. But also for the locals, having to pass law exams or attend university classes (no idea where they fit that in the schedule) was not a picnic either. Nevertheless, would anyone refuse an invitation to JAPFA? Obviously not.
We all had our share of blackouts, missed opportunities and inexplicable episodes.
However frustrating that is, I just love this event, it abounds in interesting moments thanks to the uncompromising playing style of every participant.
Blackouts

43.Qd2? 43.Qf1 43...Rg4+ 44.Rg2 Qb1+ 45.Kf2 Rf4+ 46.Kg3 Qe4 47.Qe2 47.h3 Rf3+ 48.Kh2 Rxh3+! 47...Rf3+! 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Medina Warda,A | - | Novendra,P | - | 0–1 | 2017 | C74 | TOURNAMEN 2017 | 1.1 |
Azarya Jodi,S | - | Deysi,C | - | 0–1 | 2017 | C11 | TOURNAMEN 2017 | 1.3 |
Mitra,H | - | Shah,S | - | 1–0 | 2017 | E01 | TOURNAMEN 2017 | 7.5 |
Ninh,V | - | Medina Warda,A | - | 1–0 | 2017 | A00 | TOURNAMEN 2017 | 9.5 |
Novendra,P | - | Deysi,C | - | 1–0 | 2017 | C10 | TOURNAMEN 2017 | 8.3 |
Please, wait...

One cannot be upset for too long for some unfortunate games of chess when surrounded by such lively people

Gens Una Sumus

We did have quite some fun!
We are one family beyond the chess board too. Sometimes we might forget that, generously helped by mass media. But the country with the largest Muslim population in the world welcomes its guests regardless of their religious or spiritual backgrounds. The serene magnificence of the Buddhist temple, Borobudur, and the dramatic sight of the Hindu sanctuary, Prambanan, inclined your author for:

… a moment of meditation …

Borobudur

Prambanan
Now back to the board for the final set of chess examples: attacking feels good, defending is necessary, but training your positional skills is a must as well
Hafiz - L'Ami

How would you continue with Black?
Positional technique

Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
33...Nb8 34.f4 Nc6 35.Qc5 Nxa5! 36.Qxa5 36.bxa5 Qxb1+-+ 36...Ra8 37.Qc5 Rxa2 38.b5 Ra8 38...Qa8! ∆39.b6 Qa4 40.b7 Qc2 41.b8Q+ Kh7-+ 39.b6 Rc8 40.Qa5 c3 41.Qa7 Rb8 42.Qa4 Ra8 43.Qb4 d4-+ 44.Qxd4 Ra2 45.Qd8+ Kh7 46.Qd3+ g6 47.Qf3 c2 48.Rc1 Qxb6+ 49.Kf1 Qb1 0–1
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Arif Abdul,H | - | Alina,L | - | 0–1 | 2017 | B52 | JAPFA 2017 | 8.4 |
Deysi,C | - | Shah,S | - | 1–0 | 2017 | D02 | JAPFA 2017 | 9.4 |
Yoseph Theolifus,T | - | Alina,L | - | ½–½ | 2017 | B90 | JAPFA 2017 | 10.5 |
Please, wait...
How do the participants of the 10th JAPFA chess festival feeling about all of it? That it is one of the finest tournaments we ever played.

10/10 from us!