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

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

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!