Got Rp. 60 Million Against Raffi Ahmad In Blind Chess In A Drifting Car, GM Irene: So Dizzy, Hold To Throw Up

JAKARTA - The chess battle between Female Grand Master Putri (WGM) Irene Kharisma Sukandar and actor and presenter Raffi Ahmad in a drifting car ended in a draw. Each player will receive a prize of Rp. 60 million.

In the match, Irene played without looking at the chessboard or blind chess - only hearing from the assistant conveying the steps of the chess pieces - while in the car driven by national drifter Akbar Rais.

While Raffi was in the black pawn, Irene, who was in the attack position with the white pawn, started the game with an E4 move.

More than ten minutes of the match running, Irene who was in the drifting car finally offered a draw and was accepted by Raffi.

"I feel so dizzy, I just want to throw up," Irene said as she got out of the car, after a match broadcast on the YouTube channel RANS Entertainment, Sunday, April 4, reported by Antara.

Raffi, who unexpectedly held a draw and forced the Grand Master to play for more than 10 minutes, admitted Irene's greatness.

"I salute the Grand Master ...," he said. Raffi, who was already able to predict his next move on the chessboard he was playing, added that he was "one step away from losing."

He also admits that he is afraid to compete with Irene in normal conditions, without blind chess challenges, and in a drifting car.

This match is also recorded in the Indonesian Museum of World Records (MURI) for the record for the First Chess Competition in Car Drifting.

"This is the first chess record in a drift car," said Deputy Director of MURI, Osmar Semesta Susilo.

He added that the record was "unprecedented in the world."

Get the industry ahead

The chess match received support from the Secretary-General of PB Percasi, Henry Hendratno, who was present at the event. He hopes that Irene and Raffi's duel can promote chess, as well as drifting in Indonesia.

A similar sentiment was also conveyed by the Jakarta Head of the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI), Bimo Pradikto.

"Blind chess with GM Irene in a drifting car against Mr. Raffi. Hopefully, this is an innovation to advance the automotive industry and the chess industry," said Bimo.

The match also received support from businessman Gilang Widya Pramana. The owner of Juragan 99 Trans, which is engaged in land transportation, provided prizes for the competition totaling IDR 120 million - IDR 100 million for the winners and IDR 20 million for the losers.

"Because the result was a draw, we just shared the prize ... so Rp. 60 million (for Irene) and Rp. 60 million (for Raffi)," said Gilang.

Raffi chose to dedicate the prize he got 100 percent to retired chess athletes.

By holding this competition, drifter Akbar hopes "hopefully it can inspire other friends to advance their respective industries."