Chess player Aditya Bagus Arfan moves smoothly

IM Aditya Bagus Arfan chess player went smoothly in the second half. Aditya has a big chance of winning the chess Grand Master norm.

KOMPAS/EMILIUS CAESAR ALEXEY

Chess player IM Aditya Bagus Arfan competed against IM Azarya Jodi Setiyaki in the first round of the Pertamina Indonesia GM Tournament 2024 on Tuesday (23/4/2024) at the Artotel Hotel in Jakarta. Aditya came out as the winner of the match.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesian chess player, International Master Aditya Bagus Arfan, stepped smoothly in the second round of the Pertamina Indonesia GM Tournament 2024, Wednesday (24/4/2024), at the Artotel Senayan Hotel, Jakarta. In another match, the first seeded chess player GM Novendra Priasmoro was held to a draw by the best female chess player in Indonesia, IM Medina Warda Aulia.

Aditya won over IM Gilbert Elroy Tarigan in a fierce battle. The two compete for eight tournament points to earn one Grand Master chess norm.

In the match that lasted until the 60th move, Aditya and Gilbert played different tactics. Aditya, who played the white chess pieces, tried to press on the king's wing by relying on pawn attacks supported by knights, fortresses, and bishops.

On the other hand, Gilbert tends to play defensively by closing ranks in front of the king while launching attacks through his ministers and black elephant. The difference in these tactics makes Aditya's position more advantageous.

KOMPAS/EMILIUS CAESAR ALEXEY

Indonesian chess player, IM Gilbert Elroy Tarigan (left), competed against Vietnamese chess player, GM Thien Hai Dao, in the first round of the Pertamina Indonesia GM Tournament 2024 on Tuesday (23/4/2024) at Hotel Artotel, Jakarta. The match ended in a draw.

On the 42nd move, Aditya made a mistake by not advancing his piece to attack. Gilbert took advantage of it to try to equalize the game.

Until the 45th move, even though their quality was the same, with one castle, one horse, one elephant, and three pawns, Aditya had the upper hand. Aditya's pawns were closer to the promotion box. When he failed to prevent Aditya's white pawn from being promoted, Gilbert finally surrendered.

With that result, Aditya becomes the only Indonesian chess player in the GM Tournament category to gain two points from the tournament. Aditya's position is the same as GM Temur Kuybokarov from Australia. In the second round, Kuybokarov won over GM Thien Hai Dao from Vietnam.

"Aditya played tactically and continued to apply pressure, enabling him to gain positional advantage. Even though Gilbert could keep up in terms of quality, the slightly inferior position turned out to be the determiner of the final result," said Kristianus Liem, Chair of the Development of Achievements Division of the Indonesian Chess Federation.

Also read: Four Chess Players Chase Norma Grand Master and Woman Grand Master

KOMPAS/EMILIUS CAESAR ALEXEY

Indonesian chess player, GM Novendra Priasmoro (2494), won against GM Eugenio Torre from the Philippines in the first round of the Pertamina Indonesia GM Tournament 2024 on Tuesday (23/4/2024) at Artotel Hotel, Jakarta. Novendra emerged as the winner of the match.

Meanwhile, Novendra Priasmoro, who plays the white chess pieces, was able to force Medina to close off her defense on the last three boxes of her defense. A frontal attack on the black king's wing appeared very promising until the 20th move.

Novendra's thrust through the fortress and the minister protected by a white elephant almost killed the black king of Medina. However, Medina was clever enough to evade the minister's attack and create a perpetual check situation.

In that situation, Novendra was forced to accept a draw. The draw was not ideal for Novendra who was aiming for the championship title in the tournament. Novendra has to consistently win, including against Aditya and Kuybokarov, in order to boost his position.

In another match, GM Susanto Megaranto won over GM Eugenio Torre from the Philippines. IM Azarya Jodi Setiyaki played a draw against IM Yoseph Theolifus Taher. WIM Ummi Fisabilillah lost to WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung from Vietnam.

Also read: Opportunities for Indonesian Chess Players to Move Up in Class

Aditya played tactically and continued to press so that he could gain a superior position.

KOMPAS/EMILIUS CAESAR ALEXEY

Indonesian chess player, WIM Ummi Fisabilillah, faced off against Myanmar chess player, IM Zaw Htun Wynn, in the first round of Pertamina Indonesia GM Tournament 2024 on Tuesday (23/4/2024) at Hotel Artotel in Jakarta. The match ended in a draw.

In the third round, Aditya will face his strongest opponent, Kuybokarov. If he manages to win, Aditya can take the top position in the standings and be closer to achieving the GM norm.

Novendra will fight against IM Uurtsaikh Agibileg from Mongolia. Susanto will face Thien Hai Dao, Medina will face Eugenio Torre, Gilbert will face Yoseph, and Jodi will face IM Liu Xiangyi from the Philippines.