Aulia Rachmi Kurnia, a student from the Indonesian Language Department at the UGM Faculty of Cultural Sciences, has clinched two awards at the 2023 Yogyakarta Regional Championship of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) in the chess category.
The event occurred from October 3 to 7, 2023, in Yogyakarta.
Kurnia secured the first position in the B1 class (total visual impairment) for both classical and rapid chess categories.
The chess competition included participants with visual impairment, physical disabilities, and hearing impairments, with a total of 50 contestants across various classes and categories.
“I am happy and proud to have won this regional championship,” she said on Wednesday (November 8).
Kurnia did not expect to achieve two victories. Although she had previously succeeded in chess competitions, winning second place in rapid chess and first place in classical chess at the 2022 Regional Paralympic Games, she did not take it for granted that she could easily replicate such achievements in other championships.
“To be honest, winning was beyond my expectations. I just tried to do my best,” Kurnia humbly stated.
Considered a newcomer to the Paralympic chess championships in Yogyakarta, Kurnia has only devoted herself to chess in the past year. Despite enjoying chess since junior high school around 2016, she only began to focus on playing chess in 2022.
“I have liked chess since junior high school, around 2016, and only focused on playing chess in 2022,” she explained.
Before participating in this championship, Kurnia underwent selections at the Yogyakarta city level. She was chosen to represent Yogyakarta City along with two other teammates.
Subsequently, she underwent intensive training for the last four months under the National Paralympic Committee of Yogyakarta City. Training was conducted three times a week, lasting four hours per session.
As a result of her efforts, Kurnia achieved outstanding success in the regional championship and will undergo further selections at the provincial level to represent Yogyakarta in the National Paralympic Championship.
Kurnia is one of the UGM students with disabilities who have proven that physical limitations do not hinder achieving success.
Beyond sports, in 2023, Kurnia has also demonstrated her achievements by directing a short film titled “Masih Tanda Tanya” (Still a Question Mark), which has been screened in various film enthusiast communities in the country.
Author: Ika
Photo: Aulia Kurnia