Bandung, February 18, 2025
IM Yoseph Taher (2439) holds steady in second place at Indonesian Grandmaster Tournament 2025. Yoseph maintained his position in second place with a total of 3 points at the Indonesian Grandmaster Tournament 2025. The event is being held at the Mewangi Hotel in Bandung, West Java, with the fourth round concluding on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 3:30 PM WIB.
Earlier in the day, Yoseph drew his match against fellow Indonesian IM Azarya Jodi Setyaki (2411) in the third round. In the evening’s fourth round, Yoseph held young Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Quizon Daniel (2471) to a draw. With 3 points secured, IM Yoseph Taher expressed a sense of relief.
Having drawn with the Filipino player in the fourth round, Yoseph Taher is now focused on preparing a winning strategy against the tournament’s top seed, Azerbaijani GM Safarli Eltaj, who boasts the highest Elo rating at 2609. Their match is scheduled for the fifth round on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
“I will continue to fight for victory against the Azerbaijani player with the high Elo rating. At the very least, I hope to secure a draw,” Yoseph stated firmly.
Yoseph acknowledged that competing in a high-caliber event like the GM Tournament requires not only strong chess skills but also peak physical condition. He emphasized that these two factors give him the confidence to face any opponent.
Yoseph’s position is just behind young Mongolian player IM Sugar Gan-Erdene (2439) with a total of 3 points, who has the same point after a draw against his pairing opponent from South Korea, IM Lee Junhyeok (2426) in round 4.
Meanwhile, a standout performance among the Indonesian national chess players in the fourth round came from the host country’s GM Novendra Priasmoro (2437). Leveraging his experience at the international level, Novendra secured a victory against the formidable young Australian GM Kuybokarov Temur (2550).
“I am grateful to have performed consistently in the fourth round. That allowed me to achieve victory against the former champion of 2024 from Australia,” Novendra said with enthusiasm.
The 2024 champion of the same tournament, IM Arfan Aditya Bagus, was forced to concede defeat against the strong Indian GM Sethuraman S.P. (2557), who held the white pieces. This result caused Arfan’s position to drop to 11th place with 1.5 points.
In the IM Tournament category, young Indonesian player FM Cahaya Satria Duta (2360) delivered an impressive performance. Through precise moves and tenacity, Satria Duta defeated Vietnam’s leading female player, WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (2216).
With this victory in the fourth round, Satria Duta has accumulated 3.5 points and currently holds second place. The top position in the IM group is held by the formidable GM Bernadskiy Vitaliy (Ukraine, 2531), who reached a total of 4 points in the fourth round after defeating IM Wynn Zaw Htun (Myanmar).
According to Kristianus Liem, Head of Achievement Development of the Indonesian Chess Federation (PB Percasi), Satria Duta’s performance has been commendable. The 17-year-old player has a significant opportunity to improve his Elo rating and achieve an IM norm.
He added that with his relatively young age, Satria Duta is predicted to achieve the IM title in the near future. This is a source of pride, provided he can maintain consistent performance in subsequent matches to secure his second IM norm.
