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Irene becomes Indonesia’s first Woman Grand Master
Damar Harsanto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 12/18/2008 7:45 AM | Headlines
IRENE KHARISMA SUKANDAR: (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Indonesian chess princess Irene Kharisma Sukandar has topped off her haul of victories over Woman Grand Masters (WGM) and Woman International Masters (WIM) by earning her third norm, and with it, the coveted WGM title — the country’s first.
The 16-year-old, holder of a WIM title, earned a norm during last month’s Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, and was presented with her new ranking by ASEAN Chess Confederation president Ignatius Leong, the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) said Wednesday in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.
Irene is in Singapore to compete in the Singapore Open chess tournament, running from Tuesday to Sunday.
She earned her norm after winning five matches, drawing three and losing one at the Dresden contest.
“Of course I’m happy (about becoming Indonesia’s first WGM) and very grateful to God Almighty,” Irene said in a text message to the Post.
She added she hoped her achievement could be repeated by other Indonesian women.
“I hope other (women chess players) will do the same now that the door has been opened. I’ve broken through it!” said Irene, who was named the best female player at the Malaysia Open chess tournament in Kuala Lumpur last August.
Irene is the first woman in Indonesian history to attain the chess world’s highest title. By contrast, several Indonesian men have already attained the title of grand master. Among the country’s few WIMs are Upi Darmayana Tamin, Lindri Juni Wijayanti, Lisa Karlina Lumongdong and Maria Ratna Lucia (no longer active).
Percasi secretary-gene-ral Harry Jaya Pahlawan admitted he was caught off guard by Irene’s achievement.
“We thought she might have gotten her norm next year,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
“So we’re happy at the news, keeping in mind how hard Irene’s journey has been to write a new chapter in Indonesian history.”
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KK (not verified) — Sun, 01/18/2009 - 10:07pm
WGM title is NOT the same as GM title, it is definitely not "chess world’s highest title"
(Wikipedia: Woman Grandmaster)
The WGM title represents a level of chess skill significantly lower than that of the unrestricted Grandmaster (GM) title, and in fact WGM requirements are a little bit lower than the requirements for the unrestricted International Master (IM) title as well.
Hans Otten (not verified) — Fri, 01/02/2009 - 5:30am
Leiden, The Netherlands, Thu 20090101
Congratulations, Irene. Well done !
Hans Otten
Nairdah (not verified) — Fri, 12/19/2008 - 6:13am
Congratulations Irene, a great achievement for which you should be very proud. Your fellow Indonesians should also be very proud of your performance.