Ramanda Tikno Kusuma, a student of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (FPIK) Universitas Brawijaya (UB), and his team succeeded in making the campus proud at the international level by winning 1st Place in the U2000 Rating Category in the 5th Annual Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup. The team is led by Ramanda Tikno Kusuma with members Kurniawan Umbu Toda Saputra, Aji Bagus Wicaksono, and Brian Lasamana Saputra.
This championship was held online (1-2/2/2025) and was attended by 111 teams from 25 countries, making it one of the most prestigious university chess events in the world. “I am very happy that we can finally bring UB’s name to the world level. This is a very meaningful achievement for me,” said Ramanda enthusiastically.
The team leader’s love for chess began when he was little, when he often saw his father playing at home. From there, he began to learn the basics of the game and became more interested in studying chess strategy. “I started playing chess since I was in 2nd grade. At first, I just tried it, but over time I became more interested in learning the important parts of the game, such as the opening, middle game, and endgame,” he explained.
His interest continued to grow until he finally joined the Brawijaya Chess Club, UB’s chess community that is active in various competitions. When he heard that his club would be participating again in the Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup, Ramanda was immediately motivated to restore UB’s glory, which had previously won the title in the same championship two years ago. “As a new student, I really want to be able to present an international champion title in this event. Moreover, last year UB did not manage to bring home a victory. I feel this is a good opportunity to restore that achievement,” he said.
As a board 1 player in the team, Ramanda realized that he would face tough opponents from various countries. Therefore, he focused on correcting his weaknesses in the opening phase, which is a key in determining the direction of the game. “I know the opponents I am going to face will not be easy. Therefore, I prepared a special strategy by improving weaknesses in the opening. I chose to use Nimzo and London System because they are quite effective in facing various types of opponents,” he explained.
In addition to technical preparation, Ramanda also had to face various challenges in online chess. One of them is the internet connection which must be stable so as not to experience disconnection during the match. “There are several main challenges in online chess. First, the internet network must be stable, if it is disconnected it can have a big impact. Second, there is the risk of ‘mouse slip’, where the pawn can move to the wrong square. Third, the match schedule is adjusted to New York time (EST), so I have to play at 22.00 – 00.30 WIB,” he said.
In addition to technical challenges, psychological factors are also a test for Ramanda. “The biggest challenge I experienced was nervousness. But I tried to stay relaxed and focused on the game, and didn’t forget to pray before competing,” he added.
From all the matches he played, Ramanda admitted that the 9th round was the most exciting for him. “The last round was the most tense, because it determined whether we would be champions or not. I had to really focus and not make any mistakes,” he recalled.
This tension was also felt by the other UB teams, who also fought in their respective categories. Unfortunately, teams A and D had not managed to win their matches in the deciding round. After a long struggle, Ramanda finally managed to secure victory and take home the title of Champion 1 in the U2000 Category.
His success did not make him complacent. Currently, he is participating in the Collegiate Chess League Spring 2025, an online chess championship that will run until next April. “After this, I will try to participate in more championships, both at regional, national, and other international levels. I want to continue to hone my skills and compete at a higher level,” he said.
Ramanda also gave a message to other students who want to follow in his footsteps in the world of chess. “The key is time management. Don’t just focus on academics, but also use your time to hone your skills in the fields you are interested in. Chess can be learned easily nowadays, there are many technologies and online platforms that can be used,” he said.
He also saw that the development of chess among Indonesian students was getting better, as evidenced by the participation of several other universities in this event. “I am happy to see many Indonesian universities that participated, such as Gunadarma University, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, ITS, and University of Indonesia. In fact, the Gunadarma A team managed to win 2nd place in the U2400 category and became the best team in Asia. This shows that Indonesian students have great potential in the world of chess,” he said.
Ramanda hopes that more students will be interested and excel in the world of chess, as well as more tournaments that can be a forum for young chess players in Indonesia. “I hope that more university chess tournaments can be held, both nationally and internationally. So that, student chess players can develop further and bring Indonesia’s name to the world stage,” he concluded.
With this achievement, Ramanda Tikno Kusuma and his team proved that with hard work, discipline, and dedication, UB students are able to compete at the international level and bring honor to their alma mater. Hopefully this achievement will inspire other students to continue to fight and work. (dea/VQ/ UB PR/ Trans. Iir)
