UPI STUDENT WINS 4TH ASEAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Vietnam, UPI

The UPI’s freshman Regita Desyari has just competed in the 4th ASEAN Chess Championship in Bac Giang City, Vietnam. She came home as the 8th winner of the competition. The ASEAN Chess Championship is a chess tournament held in the Swiss System and consisted of two divisions, Open and Women, the open was reserved for male players and the latter was reserved for female players only.

Rere, as she usually called, said that she didn’t make any preparation for the tournament. When she suddenly got a call that offered her a place in the ASIAN Chess Championship, she took the chance and hoped for the best. It was a great experience for her to train her self before later her will join the Pre-PON (Pekan Olahraga Nasional) on November 20th. Her biggest challenge in the tournament was when she had to face the grandmasters who are mostly Vietnamese and who are famous for the strongest candidates.

The gold medal winner from Pomnas (Pekan Olahraga Mahasiswa Nasional), also said that she still trains her self intensively three hours per day in playing chess. Formerly, it was longer, but since she was admitted to UPI, she needs to share her time with other things related to her academic matters.

Moreover, her passion for chess lends her a lot of achievement. In October, she received the first winner from POMNAS (Pekan Olahraga Mahasiswa Nasional) 2019 in Jakarta where she gained two gold medals, and, in August, she became the Best Lady Team in chess competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Soon, she will be a representative as a chess player in one of the most prestigious competitions in Indonesia, PON (Pekan Olahraga Nasional).

All the achievements she gained still make her a humble and down-to-earth girl. This English Literature student said: “My biggest dream is to make Indonesia proud.” By that, she hopes someday she can receive the Woman Grand Master (WGM) a title for a professional chess player and have the title of Woman International Master (WIM) which is the highest in chess championship in the world. Her passion for chess will still grow higher because chess is no more her hobby, it has become her life.

(Text & Photo: Agis)