Jakarta International Chess Festival.
Ideally, this was the annual tournant set by the local federation to provide a high-rated tournant for Indonesian players, giving them the chance to fight for the title norm in their ho ground. Unfortunately, after the first ti it was established in 2019, the tournant was forced to be postponed for the last two years due to COVID-19. That was why any new mbers didn’t have any mory of this event.
However, the sa couldn’t be said for the older mbers. For most of them, this tournant was the starting line of their chess career in the past. Playing this tournant allowed them all to get the official rating from FIDE, letting them step up from a bunch of amateurs into the professional field. So, to hear that the tournant that held a big importance inside their heart would be held again, it was understandable that they were excited over the news.
"Damn! I have been waiting for this!"
"Man, I am nervous! I haven’t been playing in a formal tournant for three years!"
"Damn, I have to prepare myself!"
"I wonder who would be the next rising star in this tournant..."
"Well, we have Anna, Claudia, and Sheva here. Those three are going to wreak havoc in the tournant!"
"Hell, yeah! Hahaha!"
For a mont, Sheva felt loss as everyone talked about their past experience. However, this ti, he finally understood where the excitent earlierca from. It was a rare occasion for Indonesia to hold a strongly rated tournant like this, so it was a rare chance to grind rating without having to spend so much money travelling abroad. This was a win-win solution for the local player, just like what he saw for the Vietnase low-rated players during his ti in Hanoi.
"So, will the format be the sa?" Johan, one of the oldest mbers here, asked calmly. He was probably the only one who managed to keep his composure amidst the excitent around him. "I an, will it still be the sa, an open tournant with 40 rated players fighting against each other for 9 rounds? Also, how is the composition of the tournant? How many GMs, IMs, and FMs would play in this tournant?"
That... It was a valid question. Even Irfan sent his gratitude smile toward the old man for driving the conversation back to the tournant. It was always good to have soone who could think clearly amidst the jitters around him.
"First of all, unlike three years ago, when the tournant only had one section, this ti, we will follow the format that the Hanoi and Bangkok tournants have already set. Three sections, with the two highest being the GM & IM ones to ensure that all the players would have a better chance to get their title norms, and the U2250 one for those below to grind their rating first." Irfan explained.
After the excitent before, everyone was back to focusing on Irfan’s explanation again. This ti, most of them nodded their head in understanding, while a few just whispered at each other about it. Most low-rated players there were relieved when they listened to this information, knowing that their chance to et top players would be quite low. That ant as long as they strategized properly, they wouldn’t lose too many ratings in this tournant, which was sothing to be celebrated too.
After all, even if they were excited to play against the top-seeded players, their experience basically told them that they were just cannon fodder for those top-seeded players, and the chance of them creating an upset by winning or drawing the ga was basically close to none. Their relieved feeling of getting away from those top players was a bit cowardly, indeed. But it was better than having to be the punching bag for those top-rated players.
Of course, so people were dissatisfied with this format, believing that the chance to play against top-rated or titled players was too rare to be passed on. Those were Sheva and Claudia, two ambitious players who were hungry for more after their achievent in Hanoi.
’Tch! As expected, I still have to improve my rating as quickly as possible.’ Sheva clicked his tongue in annoyance. His thoughts about being humbler and keeping his foot on the ground earlier also disappeared, and now the boy was back, staring at the sky again. ’Let’s just hope that there will also be soone good enough in the lowest category. If the opponent’s level is the sa as in Hanoi, this will be another massacre.’
He glanced sideways unconsciously, and sohow, his eyes t Claudia, who also held the sa dissatisfaction. They stared at each other for a mont before giving a short nod. They didn’t need to communicate verbally here. Those two realized that if they wanted to have better opponents, they only needed to do one thing: just beat everyone in front of them and raise their ELO rating as high as possible.
"As for the players’ composition..." Irfan suddenly spoke again, silencing the crowd imdiately. "This should be confidential information, but since the arbiter himself is a friend of mine, I could give you a hint." He smiled mischievously, letting the crowd get restless over this information. "Although it hasn’t been confird yet, in the GM section, three Grandmasters from the other country will be playing there, with one being from India, another from Azerbaijan, and the last one coming from Ukraine."
"Ooh...."
Everyone was in awe when they heard that. After all, the first tournant three years ago only had two Grandmasters, and all were coming from Indonesia itself. The other foreign players didn’t have that high a rating, with the best being an IM at that ti. Having three foreign Grandmasters and probably more with the lower title to co here showed that the tournant gained a pretty good reputation outside, which was good for the developnt of chess in this country.
"Also!" Irfan added once again, stopping the chatters instantly. The mischievous smile on his face didn’t disappear. If anything, it spread wider, making Sheva think that whatever news he was about to deliver would be big. True enough, in the next second, the IM finally dropped the bomb here. "Even though it hasn’t been confird yet, Master Susanto and Master Priasmoro will also participate in the GM section, and lastly, one thing I can confirm, Anna and I will also be in the GM section, trying to get the norm for our next title. So, please, give us your best support, okay?"
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