We have to admit that Indonesia doesn’t have many chess periodicals. It’s even sadder to learn that most of them had only a brief appearance. The exception was Tijdschrift Nederlandsch-Indischen Schaakbond which had 25 years of lifespan. Here we list chess periodicals that have ever been published in Indonesia.
Perusahaan Listrik Negara (State Power Company) sponsored the event. It was no coincidence since the chairman of the company, Eddie Widiono, was also the chairman of Percasi (All Indonesia Chess Federation). For Slovene WIM Jana Krivec and Indonesian WFM Irene Sukandar, the tournament was a hunting ground for the WGM title.
Tan Hoan Liong, aka Tan Hiong Liong, has a special place in Indonesian chess history. He was the first Indonesian to hold International Master title, or any international title awarded by FIDE in that matter. Tan got the title after his achievement in Hoogovens Tournament at Beverwijk, Netherlands 1963.
It wasn’t clear who was going to win after the 7th round had finished. No less than 6 players still had realistic chances to win. Three players led with 5 VP: GM Ian Rogers, IM Darryl Johansen, and IM Ruben Rodriguez. Following closely with half a point adrift were FM Cerdas Barus, FM Yang Xian, and GM Utut Adianto. The tension was mounting.
Ong Yok Hwa defeated MHS Nainggolan in the Tournament of Challengers Play-off and won the right to challenge the defending champion Arovah Bachtiar. Arovah practically rolled over the challenger in the first three rounds of the final match. In the next rounds Ong suddenly rose to the occasion. The final score was 6.5-4.5 for Ong.
During the match WGM Lǐ Ruòfán employed a strategy that was not uncommon when playing against less experienced players: complicated things and waited for the mistakes from the opponent. It worked wonder. Lǐ Ruòfán overwhelmed WIM Irene Kharisma Sukandar and won the match convincingly 5-1.
All members of Indonesian team for Bled Chess Olympiad 2002 participated. They were GM Cerdas Barus, IM Ivan Situru, FM Irwanto Sadikin, FM Awam Wahono, Andi Nur Jabal Ahmad, and Susanto Megaranto. Susanto drew the most of spectators’ attentions. At fifteen he was the hottest rising star in Indonesia.
