Every year Indonesia holds the JAPFA International Chess Festival in Jakarta and this year the highlight is the GM Tournament.
So the Kartika Chandra Hotel will see from 14-23 April a 12 player round robin headed by my good friend Sergei Tiviakov (Nederlands) and in the fight for the first prize he is expected to be be joined by three other grandmasters and they are GN Gopal (India), veteran Rogelio Antonio (Philippines), and another of my very good friends Nguyen Anh Dung (Vietnam).
The Indonesian players are clearly all playing for international norms and titles.
Going for the grandmaster title are young International Masters Sean Winshand Cuhendi, Farid Firman Shah, local superstars Irene Kharisma Sukandar, Medina Warda Aulia and national team stalwart Tirta Chandra Purnama while the International master title is clearly the target for FIDE Master Muhammad Lufti Ali.
JAPFA GM has a very nice mix, the addition of two women International masters, Alina L'Ami (Romania) and Sophie Milliet (France), making it a total of six foreign and six local players (and which also ensures that there are eight men and four women playing).
Games will be broadcast live but with a bit of luck I might be able to find time to attend the last round and closing ceremony of a very interesting tournament.