UNAIR NEWS – Continuing to achieve remarkable milestones, a student from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPK) at Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) clinched the second-place award for the Best Student category at the Cap Kapal Checkmate 2 International FIDE RATED 2024 chess competition. The event took place from Wednesday to Sunday (December 11–15, 2024) in the ballroom of Choice City Hotel, BG Junction Mall, Surabaya.
The competition saw participation from four countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Russia—with a total of 82 contestants divided into two categories: standard chess and blitz chess. In the tournament, Faizul Mahzumi triumphed over dozens of competitors, earning second place in the Best Student category.
Winning strategy
Faizul participated in the standard chess category, which features a time control of 60 minutes per player with a 30-second increment per move. This format results in each round lasting approximately 2–3 hours.
“In my games, I employed the English Opening by advancing the pawn to C4. I followed this up with the Fianchetto strategy, moving the pawn to G3, and implemented a kingside castling for defense. This combination proved effective for both attacking and defending throughout the matches,” Mahzumi explained.
He emphasized that maintaining consistent focus and enjoying the process of the game were key to his success. His final score of 5.5 points over nine rounds was the result of five wins, three losses, and one draw.
The Journey
Mahzumi shared that his preparation for the tournament was limited due to his packed schedule as a fifth-semester student and the competition’s timing, which coincided with final exams. Despite this, he managed to balance his academic responsibilities, even completing exams on the same day as the matches.
“My preparation was quite minimal; I only practiced by playing chess with older individuals at local coffee shops. I’m not entirely satisfied with my results, but I am determined to win future tournaments, especially in the upcoming Student Sports Week chess competition next year,” he added.
Author: Rifki Sunarsis Ari Adi
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
