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Indonesian Susanto beats Kokarev in tight grandmaster match
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Master chief: Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia (left) and grandmaster Dmitry Kokarev of Russia compete in the sixth round of matches at the JAPFA Grandmaster and Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Yogyakarta. Susanto defeated Kokarev in a four-hour battle. (The Jakarta Post/Bambang Muryanto)
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ndonesian grandmaster Susanto Megaranto has added a valuable 4.5 points to his tournament collection after defeating grandmaster Dmitry Kokarev of Russia following a tight four-hour match at the 2019 JAPFA Grandmaster and Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament.
Susanto was left with little breathing room right from the get go, with Kokarev starting with an aggressive strategy. After enduring strike after strike, he managed to edge out his opponent with a single-pawn maneuver.
“Dmitry has been my strongest opponent. He is also the number one seed in this tournament. This was a satisfying win,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Susanto acknowledged that defeating Kokarev was critical for him in the lead up to the 2019 World Chess Championship in Russia. Susanto is the only player to have defeated the Russian.
Prior to the tilt, Susanto scored a victory against grandmaster Ivan Sokolov of the Netherlands, the tourney’s second seed.
Indonesian Chess Association development and achievement head Kristianus Liem praised the victory, saying it was positive for the entire Indonesian team.
“The win has been an extraordinary for us,” he said.
