Throughout the Olympiad we have introduced you to young players up to 18 years of age and even though that is very young, the next generation of players is already on their way! Today we meet 10-year-old Samantha Edithso from Indonesia. Currently rated 1805, she is quickly on her way to become a new face of chess. She has been attracting a fair bit of publicity and you may have already watched the interview that Chessbase India published earlier this week, but we were delighted to have the opportunity to chat to Samantha after another win. We sat down with her and her coach Peter Long.

When did you start playing chess and what does your chess career look like so far?

I started playing chess when I was 6 years old, so four years ago. I won the Asian Youth U10 Rapid and Blitz championships and I am the current World Cadets U10 Rapid Champion and working hard on my standard chess. When I first obtained my standard rating, it was 2031 (now sitting at 1805). I have lost a few points, but I am learning a lot.

We would like to add, that not only did Samantha win the Rapid U10 championships, she did so with a perfect score (7/7) a full 1.5 points ahead of the rest. She won the blitz with 7.5/9. Both scores are truly remarkable!

What is the junior chess league like in Indonesia?

There are not too many juniors playing chess.

Peter Long also explains that Indonesia is very large with different islands, making it difficult for juniors to come together. Chess is of course very popular in Indonesia, you will see it being played on the streets everywhere, but this is not very structured and serious.

 

What is your favourite chess book?

Jacob Aagaard’s book ‘Attacking Manual’.  It is fascinating and instructive as it is a treasure about attacking, which is what I like to do.

 

What are your goals and dreams?

I would like to increase my rating and get a title. Preferably as soon as possible, but a WGM before I am 16 would be great!

At this stage we can let you know that Samantha has qualified for a WFM norm during the Olympiad with a score of 5/7, so she is on her way to achieving her goals!

 

What other talents and hobbies do you have?

“I like drawing.” Samantha says. Peter speaks up again and confirms that not only does Samantha like drawing, she is also very good at it! When we ask her if she likes drawing more than chess, she confirms chess is her favourite. Peter thinks drawing is both an expression and an outlet for her creative side.

 

Who is your favourite chess player of all times?

‘Mikhail Tal’ she immediately replies. He is of course a tactical master and with Samantha’s game style following that same style, we understand why she is so drawn to that.

 

How are you going in this tournament and what do you think about the Olympiad?

This tournament has the longest time control I have ever played. My game in round 5 lasted for over five hours. I sleep in a lot to make sure I am fully rested.

The time control for this tournament is as follows:  the World Chess Federation FIDE has a single, classical time control for most of its major events, 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

 

Click on the board below to read David’s annotation on Samantha’s favourite game this Olympiad!

 

 

Lastly, what is your advice for Australian Junior players?

Enjoy the game!