Indonesia: Chess and Nature
- Jul 16
- 8 min read
Howdy! It’s the Chess Friends!
Chess Friends Airlines is back, this time, with its sweetest deal ever! Unlike our recent trips to European countries: Italy, France, and Iceland, today, we will explore Southeast Asia, flying to Indonesia, where we will learn about the country’s chess and nature!
You might be wondering, why did we pick Indonesia to talk about not only chess but things unrelated to chess like nature? The Man Benji will explain why.
The Man Benji
It’s all in the books
Hi Friends! It’s the Man Benji! If you have read our blogs, you know by now that I’m always on the lookout for a good chess-related book, and recently I found just the one! As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover, but I totally did! Take a look at the book that grabbed my attention:
by Michelle Kadarusman (2022)
On the lavishingly green background, an orangutan and a black pawn are looking at each other. I’ve seen this image somewhere before… wait a minute… ah, yes!
Here it is, from our earlier blog Chess Zoo Part II, where we talked about the Orangutan Chess Opening!
Seeing this cover, I got curious: does the orangutan actually play chess in the book? Will the book talk about the Orangutan chess opening? And what is Berani ? Is it some sideline in the opening? I had to find out!
I opened the book and, on the first page, saw a map of Indonesia. Friends, let me tell you this: if a fiction book has a map inside, I most definitely will read it!
The story is told from three different perspectives: a girl named Malia, a boy named Ari, and a captive orangutan named Ginger Juice. Malia and Ari live on the Indonesian island of Java, but they don’t know each other yet. Malia is an environmental activist, concerned about the shrinking population of orangutans. Ari is a regular boy, living with his uncle to attend a school in the city, concerned about earning his keep and the family he left behind in his home village. Ari has to do lots of chores in his uncle's restaurant, including cleaning the cage of an orangutan held in captivity to entertain the visitors. Ari's uncle loves Ginger Juice, his prized possession, but Ari can’t help feeling sad looking at the lonely orangutan in the little cage.
Thankfully, Ari has chess to escape all his worries. He can’t wait to finish his chores and meet at his school’s chess club to practice new ideas and sharpen old ones. On the big day, Ari with his chess team goes on a trip to compete in a tournament at a private school. There, he briefly meets Malia, who randomly gives him a petition she prepared about orangutans and the palm oil industry that replaces the rainforest, the orangutans' natural habitat.
That petition, a single sheet of paper, initiates a cascade of thoughts and events. Will Malia get in trouble for her activism? Will Ari find courage to stand up for what’s right? Will Ginger Juice be able to stretch on the green grass and climb a tree again? You have to read it to find out, but without spoiling anything, let me just say that the ending of this book is the best!
What does Berani means? In Indonesian, it means brave. This book shows how, despite the consequences, you should have a big heart, be brave, and do the right thing. And what does it all have to do with chess you might ask? Chess helped Ari and Malia meet, helped Ari think a few steps ahead, and helped him see the world and, most importantly, see himself in the world.
That’s what I call a good book: One that combines intriguing topics, authentic settings, a satisfying ending, and chess! If you can learn a thing or two as you read along, that’s a huge bonus!
But Berani is not the first book where I learned about the troubling connection between palm oil and orangutans. There is another great book (though sadly there’s no chess in it), called Earth Wise!
by Thomas G. Spiro, Helen H. Spiro, Alexandra Soldatova
If you want to learn about any environmental issues, and learn fast, this book is for you!
Here is some information that I discovered about palm oil from that amazingly amazing book!
Palm oil is used a lot: in food, cosmetics, and even in fuel. It comes from a tree called oil palm, mostly grown in the tropical climates of Indonesia and Malaysia. People love the oil palm tree because it’s so efficient: it produces more oil per acre than any other plant! But, where do people grow the oil palm trees? That’s the tough question. What they’ve been doing is setting the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia on fire, to clear the land while destroying the native homes of many animals there, like orangutans, to establish the palm plantations.
Sure, Indonesia takes up only 1.3% of the Earth’s surface, but because of its rich rainforests, the country actually holds 10% of plant species, 12% of mammal species, and many-many birds. Ever since people increased their use of palm oil, Indonesia has lost nearly 1/5 of its forest, replaced by oil palm tree agriculture! So many animals lost their home!
I know this sounds sad, but all hope is not lost! Why? Because WE and YOU can help! You might think that small actions, like riding your bike, or picking up trash, or refilling your water bottle, or sharing what you’ve learned about orangutans wouldn’t make a big difference, but if other people see you doing these little things, it can produce a big impact on them, initiating a positive chain reaction!
If you want to learn more about the environmental problems that the whole world is dealing with, and learn with a positive mindset, Earth Wise has lots of great information about what us humans can do!
Now let’s go back to our blog and hear from The Myth Sarang, who can share more facts about the amazing country of Indonesia and the chess scene there!
The Myth Sarang
A tour guide at your service
Hi Friends! It’s the Myth Sarang! Today, I will be sharing a bit about the top Indonesian chess players and a few fun facts about the country! Let’s get to it!
Here are some cool and unique fun facts about the country!
1. Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago with over 17,000 islands!
2. It is the 4th most populous country with over 280 million people (behind India, China, and the U.S.A.)!
3. Its capital city, Jakarta, is the largest city in the world by population, home of over 40 million people!
4. The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has many volcanoes!
5. Their national animal is the Komodo dragon, one of the largest lizard species in the world!
6. Bali is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world, known for its luxury beaches!
7. Indonesia has a vast linguistic diversity, from their own languages, such as Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese, to foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, and Dutch.
8. Coffee from Indonesia, especially from Sumatra and Java is very popular around the world.
9. Nasi Goreng, aka fried rice, is one of my favorite dishes!
10. It is the world’s largest producer of palm oil!
11. The national sport of Indonesia is badminton!
Now let’s move on to the chess of things.
During the Dutch colonial era between 1602 and 1800, chess grew in major cities in Indonesia. Over time, chess spread beyond the elite circles and into the schools and neighborhoods across Indonesia. A major part of Indonesian chess is the national chess federation, known as Percasi. This organization has helped support tournaments, train players, and promote chess throughout the country. With its help, Indonesia has built a strong chess culture that has led to a great deal of international success!
Indonesia has several well-known chess players who compete on the global stage. Players such as Utut Adianto (very strong junior player), Susanto Megaranto (top GM from Indonesia), Sean Winshand Cuhendi (#1 and newest Indonesian GM), and Irene Kharisma Sukandar (first ever Indonesian WGM and top international chess commentator) are leaders in Indonesian chess.
Chess is popular among kids in Indonesia today. With the Indonesian chess stars coming into the global stage, and a strong, rapidly growing scholastic chess culture, described in the book Berani that Benji covered, the future of Indonesian chess looks bright!
Turning it over to my bro The Legend Vivaan who will tell you more about the amazing animals of Indonesia!
The Legend Vivaan
An animal guide at your service
Hey Friends! It’s the Legend Vivaan! I love animals, and Indonesia is home to some of the most amazing, but sadly, endangered, ones! I’ll discuss six, each from a different island of Indonesia.
The Komodo Dragon is the largest living lizard! They can get over 10 feet long and over 300 pounds!
Komodo Dragons live in the dry forests and savannah. They even have their own island in Indonesia, where they outnumber people! They are fierce predators and ambush hunt their prey. They fight with their giant jaws and teeth and legs, particularly when they’re fighting for meat!
The Bornean Orangutan lives in the canopy of the rainforests of Borneo, one of the largest Indonesian islands.
Orangutans are primarily vegetarian but do occasionally eat bugs. They are the gardeners of the rainforest, have a beautiful red orange color and super shaggy hair. They have super long arms and big cheeks and are solitary great apes, unlike most of their relatives who live in groups in Africa.
The Sumatran Tiger lives on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and is the smallest species of tiger.
They have dark orange fur and narrow black stripes to help them camouflage in the tropical forest. Did you know that all tigers have a distinct black striped pattern and are one of the few cats who are great swimmers? Another fun fact about Sumatran tigers is that they have bearded facial hair resembling a small lion’s mane.
The Javan Rhinoceros is found on Java and can be over 10 feet long and over 5 thousand pounds!
There are less than 80 of these fantastic creatures left on Earth. They feature one small horn and live in the Ujung Kulon National Park, at the westernmost tip of Java. They like lots of swampy areas and mainly live in the lowland rainforest and wet marshy grasslands.
The Sulawesi Anoa lives on Sulawesi Island.
It is the smallest wild cattle in the world and known as a dwarf buffalo. Sulawesi Anoa are around 5 feet long and 400 pounds. They’re herbivores and vegetarian like me! A cool feature of these majestic creatures is that they have straight, backward pointing horns.
The Bali Myna is a medium-large starling bird on the island of Bali.
It’s snow white in color with black tips and blue around the eyes. Myna birds eat insects and fruits and live in woodlands and edges of forests. Like me, these birds are social song creatures, and while I may sing words in chorus, they sing with whistles, chatters, and rasping notes!
What does all this have to do with chess? I don’t really know but animals are cool, chess is cool, and here we are! Maybe we could make an awesome Indonesian inspired chess set with endangered species as the pieces to increase awareness for these animals and help them survive!
That’s all for now, friends! We hope you all are enjoying summer! Play chess and take care of nature!
Three Cheers, Fellow Future Master Chess Friends!
The Man Benji, The Myth Sarang, The Legend Vivaan
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