Hat-trick

Poor Susanto Megaranto. I don’t think he has ever been put through anything quite as mentally punishing as what unfolded at the recently concluded SEA Games in Bangkok. He was playing in the men’s rapid doubles event for Indonesia, paired with Novendra Priasmoro. Both are grandmasters, with Priasmoro on first board and Megaranto on second. 

Indonesia met Malaysia in the opening round of the preliminaries. On top board, Priasmoro defeated our newly-minted grandmaster Yeoh Li Tian. But on the second board, our international master Poh Yu Tian struck back, beating Megaranto to keep the team score level. I won’t go through the round-by-round details, but after five rounds of preliminaries, it was Malaysia who finished top of the standings and booked a place in the semi-finals. Fate, as it turned out, had a sense of humour: Malaysia would face Indonesia again. 

The format for both the semi-finals and final was straightforward. If the match ended 1–1, tie-breaks would follow. In the Malaysia–Indonesia semi-final, both games were drawn and the score duly sat at 1–1. In the first tie-break, Priasmoro once again got the better of Yeoh, but Poh responded by beating Megaranto, levelling matters at 2–2. Still no separation. So on to a second tie-break. 

This time, Yeoh played solidly and held Priasmoro to a draw. That left Poh with the task of deciding the match, and he did so with authority, beating Megaranto yet again to send Malaysia through. Rapid chess, of course, is not standard chess, and the results should not be equated too readily. Even so, my assessment is that the domination was complete. Poh played adventurously with remarkable fearlessness throughout, and if this is any indication, his future development augurs very well indeed. 

As for Megaranto, losing three times and managing only a single draw in four games against the same opponent is something he is unlikely to have experienced often in his career, if at all. One can only surmise he has put this episode behind him. Meanwhile, these are their games from the semi-finals; regrettably, the moves from their first-round encounter in the preliminaries are missing.

[Event "SEA Games 2025"] 
[Site "Bangkok, Thailand"] 
[Date "2025.12.19"] 
[Round "6"] 
[White "Susanto Megaranto"] 
[Black "Poh Yu Tian"] 
[Result "1/2-1/2"] 
[WhiteELO "2532"] 
[BlackELO "2314"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bh4 d5 5. e3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Nbd2 Qb6 8. Rb1 Be7 9. Bd3 Qc7 10. O-O b6 11. Bg3 Bd6 12. e4 Bxg3 13. hxg3 cxd4 14. cxd4 Bd7 15. Rc1 Qd8 16. a3 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Rc8 19. d5 exd5 20. Qxd5 O-O 21. Rfd1 Nb8 22. Qb7 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Qf6 24. Rc2 a5 25. Rd2 Bc6 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 27. Qe7 Qc1+ 28. Kh2 Qc8 29. Qd6 b5 30. Rd5 Qb7 31. Nd4 b4 32. Rxa5 bxa3 33. bxa3 Nd7 34. Rb5 Qc8 35. Nf5 Qe8 36. f3 f6 37. Qd5+ Kh8 38. Rb7 Qh5+ 39. Kg1 Ne5 40. Nxg7 Qg5 41. Ne6 Qxg3 42. Qe4 Nxf3+ 43. Qxf3 Qe1+ 44. Kh2 Qxe6 45. Qf4 Qe5 46. Qxe5 fxe5 47. Re7 Ra8 1/2-1/2

[Event "SEA Games 2025"]

[Site "Bangkok, Thailand"]

[Date "2025.12.19"]

[Round "7"]

[White "Poh Yu Tian"]

[Black "Susanto Megaranto"]

[Result "1-0"]

[WhiteELO "2314"]

[BlackELO "2532"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Qf6 8. Qxf6 Nxf6 9. Nc3 h6 10. Be3 d6 11. O-O-O Ke7 12. f3 Be6 13. Be2 Rhd8 14. Rd2 b5 15. b3 Rd7 16. Rhd1 Ne8 17. Kb2 Nc7 18. Bb6 Rb8 19. Bf2 f6 20. h4 Rbd8 21. a4 Rb8 22. axb5 Nxb5 23. Nd5+ Kf7 24. Nb6 Rc7 25. Bxb5 axb5 26. Rxd6 h5 27. Nd7 Bxd7 28. Rxd7+ Rxd7 29. Rxd7+ Kg6 30. Bc5 Nd8 31. Ba7 Ra8 32. Bb6 Ne6 33. Be3 Rb8 34. Re7 Nd8 35. Re8 Kf7 36. Rh8 Nc6 37. Rxb8 Nxb8 38. Ka3 Nc6 39. c4 bxc4 40. bxc4 Ke6 41. Ka4 g6 42. Kb5 Kd6 43. Kb6 Nd8 44. c5+ Kd7 45. Bd2 Nc6 46. Bh6 f5 47. Bg7 fxe4 48. fxe4 Nb4 49. Bxe5 Nc6 50. Bc3 Ne7 51. Kb7 Nc6 52. e5 Nd8+ 53. Kb6 Ne6 54. c6+ Kc8 55. g3 Kb8 56. Kb5 Kc7 57. Ba5+ Kc8 58. Kc4 Ng7 59. Kd5 Nf5 60. e6 1-0

[Event "SEA Games 2025"]

[Site "Bangkok, Thailand"]

[Date "2025.12.19"]

[Round "8"]

[White "Susanto Megaranto"]

[Black "Poh Yu Tian"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteELO "2532"]

[BlackELO "2314"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 b6 10. a4 Ba6 11. cxd5 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Qxd5 13. Ba3 Rfd8 14. Rfe1 Na5 15. e4 Qc4 16. Qe3 Nb3 17. Rad1 Rac8 18. Bb2 Qxa4 19. h3 cxd4 20. cxd4 Rc2 21. Ba1 Nxa1 22. Rxa1 Qd7 23. Ne5 Qc7 24. Ra3 Rc8 25. Qf4 Rc1 26. Ra1 Rxe1+ 27. Rxe1 h6 28. Kh2 Ne8 29. Ra1 a5 30. Rb1 a4 31. Rxb6 f6 32. Rc6 Qb8 33. Rxc8 Qxc8 34. Nd3 Qc4 35. Qb8 Qc7+ 36. Qxc7 Nxc7 37. Nb4 a3 38. Na2 Kf7 39. Kg3 Nb5 40. d5 exd5 41. exd5 Nc7 42. d6 Nb5 43. d7 Ke7 44. Kg4 g6 45. h4 h5+ 46. Kf4 Kxd7 47. f3 Kd6 48. g4 Nd4 49. Ke4 Kc5 50. Ke3 Kc4 51. Ke4 Ne2 52. f4 hxg4 53. f5 Ng3+ 54. Kf4 Nxf5 55. Kxg4 Ne3+ 56. Kf4 Nd5+ 57. Kg4 Nb4 58. Nc1 Kc3 59. h5 gxh5+ 60. Kxh5 Kb2 61. Ne2 a2 0-1