Bandung, February 24, 2025
During the Indonesian Grandmaster Tournament 2025 held at Hotel Mewangi, Bandung, from 16–24 February 2025, Indonesian chess players IM Yoseph Taher and FM Satria Duta delivered outstanding performances by achieving their GM Norm and IM Norm, respectively.
In the final round (round 11), FM Satria Duta Cahaya—who had already secured an IM Norm in round 10—continued to perform at his best and secured a vital win to bolster his Elo rating. His determination was proven by his victory over one of Indonesia’s top players, WIM Laysa Latifah, in round 11 while defending with the Caro-Kann.
With his win in round 11, Satria Duta claimed second place in the final standings with a total of 8.5 points. In the IM category, the championship title was claimed by GM Bernadskiy Vitaliy (Ukraine), who defeated WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (Vietnam) in his final round match. Vitaliy accumulated a total of 9 points over 11 rounds, emerging as the tournament champion and earning a prize of USD 2,500 along with a medal and trophy.
After his match, Satria Duta stated that he would redouble his efforts in training and studying chess. Now holding the IM title, he intends to take part in the International Chess Championship (FIDE) Zone 3.3 Asia in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, scheduled from 22 April to 2 May 2025.
Indonesian player IM Yoseph Taher, who currently holds an Elo rating of 2439 and competes in the GM group, ended round 11 with a draw against GM Kuybokarov Temur from Australia, who has an Elo rating of 2550. With this result, Yoseph Taher reached a total of 7.5 points, fulfilling his target of achieving his first GM Norm at the Bandung tournament.
Meanwhile, fellow Indonesian IM Aditya Bagus Arfan—last year’s champion in 2024—experienced a steep decline as he dropped to 8th place with only 4.5 points in the GM group. The GM group title was ultimately secured by top-seed GM Safarli Eltaj (Azerbaijan), with an Elo rating of 2609, who in round 11 defeated Indonesian player IM Azarya Jodi Setyaki (Elo rating 2411). With that win, Safarli Eltaj accumulated 8.5 points and earned the champion’s prize of USD 4,500 along with a medal and trophy.
At the closing ceremony, PB Percasi coach Ir. Eka Putra Wirya expressed his appreciation for both IM Yoseph Taher and FM Satria Duta, congratulating them on their notable achievements of attaining the GM Norm and IM Norm, respectively, at the Indonesian Grandmaster Tournament.
“I am very proud that this Indonesian Grandmaster Tournament has produced such talented young players as IM Yoseph and FM Satria Duta Cahaya. In light of this success, PB Percasi Chairman Utut Adianto plans to organize international-level events like this every three months,” stated Ir. Eka Putra Wirya.
He further added that hosting tournaments quarterly is expected to motivate national players in enhancing their performance. Ir. Eka emphasized that young chess players should take their training more seriously and nurture a high level of ambition to improve their Elo ratings and attain higher chess titles. Special attention has been given to Satria Duta, who—at just 17 years of age—has attracted strong support from the PB Percasi leadership with hopes of achieving the GM title at an early age.
Likewise, IM Yoseph Taher, who has earned his first GM Norm, is advised to prepare with extra effort and to adopt a more aggressive approach in future matches—much like the focused efforts shown by Satria Duta, who continues to receive particular attention from Utut Adianto.
On the same occasion, PB Percasi Head of Public Relations, Kristianus Liem, commended FM Satria Duta Cahaya for securing the International Master title at the tournament. With the excellent performance of the 17-year-old, he now has an opportunity to represent Indonesia in the upcoming International Chess Championship (FIDE) Zone 3.3 Asia in Mongolia, set to be held from 22 April to 2 May 2025.
“Since his appearance at the Youth Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary last year, I have been convinced of FM Satria Duta’s exceptional talent—an impression that was reinforced when he achieved his first IM Norm. His success in quickly accumulating his third IM Norm at this Indonesian GM and IM Tournament is a testament to his abilities,” asserted Kristianus Liem.
According to him, for the International Chess Championship (FIDE) Zone 3.3 Asia in Mongolia, Indonesia is allocated two spots each for male and female players. In the male category, MI Yoseph Taher is expected to participate following his acquisition of his first IM Norm.
Regarding the female category, Liem mentioned that a selection process might be held in order to determine which players will represent Indonesia in the championship, as it has yet to be decided based on the performances at the Indonesian GM and IM Tournament.
“PB Percasi hopes that both the male and female representatives will perform excellently at the FIDE Zone 3.3 Asia Championship and continue to achieve success at even higher-level tournaments in the future,” Kristianus Liem concluded.
Below are the final standings of the Indonesian GM and IM Tournament 2025:
GM GROUP
IM GROUP
