Alza Nashuha Shahhira’s eyes remained fixed on the chessboard, carefully observing each piece. In silence, she thought swiftly, constructing her strategy move by move. With graceful yet confident fingers, she shifted the pieces with precision.
The student of the Economics Study Program at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), completed her matches at the 2025 Universitas Gadjah Mada Sports and Arts Week (PORSENIGAMA) with outstanding results. She won the gold medal in the women’s blitz chess category.
For the Class of 2022 student, this achievement was not an instant victory. Her chess skills were the result of a long journey. Alza began playing chess in second grade. Initially, her interest emerged from watching her father play chess at home.
Her passion for chess grew stronger when her physical education teacher encouraged her to train at a local chess club. She followed the suggestion casually at first, merely to fill her spare time and make friends.
Over time, Alza’s motivation shifted from hobby to achievement. Support from her parents, coaches, and supportive peers, along with incentives and sponsorship from the local government, strengthened her determination to compete. A strong culture of sparring and internal competitions at the club also pushed her to take chess more seriously. Among her early achievements were second place at the East Java Provincial Championship (Kejurprov) for the Under-8 category in 2012 and second place at the National Chess Championship (Kejurnas) in Jakarta for the same age group.
When asked about her participation in PORSENIGAMA 2025, Alza shared that she trained diligently despite her busy thesis work. She set aside about 1 to 2 hours per day to sharpen her skills. According to her, self-evaluation after each training session was crucial to improving decision-making quality, especially under the short time pressure of blitz chess.
“In the first few weeks, I focused on learning opening theories for both white and black through YouTube and specialized websites. After that, I practiced online sparring through applications and websites following the PORSENIGAMA 2025 time control. From there, I could analyze my mistakes and evaluate them,” she explained.
Alza revealed that her biggest challenge at PORSENIGAMA 2025 was adapting after a long hiatus from competitions. However, by adopting a more relaxed approach and enjoying each match, she felt mentally calmer than in her previous competitive experiences. This mindset helped her perform more confidently and ultimately secure the gold medal in the women’s blitz chess category.
In the chess competition at PORSENIGAMA 2025, FEB UGM also won a silver medal in the men’s blitz chess category. Vaio Alfitrah Hazaraqi, a Management student from the Class of 2023, earned the silver medal.
For Vaio, chess was not his first choice. Yet, unexpectedly, it became the field through which he developed and achieved numerous successes in various competitions.
Vaio’s interest in chess began due to the achievement-based admission pathway to a prestigious junior high school in his hometown, as well as the influence of classmates who were enthusiastic chess players. At first, chess was merely a hobby and a way to spend time with friends, especially after he shifted his focus to badminton. However, after achieving success in several city-level tournaments in Jember, he recognized his potential and decided to pursue chess more seriously, focusing on achievement.
Some of Vaio’s notable accomplishments include third place at the Penang Chess Festival, Malaysia (2020), second place at the Unnes Chess Championship (2024), and several national student achievements in 2025, including first place at the Diponegoro University National Chess Tournament (Dipo Chess Tournament), first place at the Superchess National Tournament III in the Student Category, and first place at the Rector Cup UIN SGD Bandung in the Student Category.
When asked about his preparation for PORSENIGAMA 2025, Vaio explained that he had been consistently training with his teammates from FEB UGM. Through these sessions, he analyzed opponents’ strategies as a key aspect of his game plan, studying their playing styles and identifying weaknesses.
Vaio views his silver medal at PORSENIGAMA 2025 as an opportunity for self-evaluation. Although he admitted that the result was not entirely satisfying, he believed the experience provided valuable lessons for his competitive journey.
“In terms of results, it was actually quite disappointing because from 2023 until now, I’ve always ended up as the runner-up. However, from this experience, I gained a lot of meaningful material for evaluation,” said Vaio, who considers Grandmaster Utut Adianto his role model.
He added that this evaluation process enriched his understanding of how to face future competitions. Throughout 2025, Vaio achieved several accomplishments in various national student tournaments, which he believes are the result of continuous learning and evaluation, including lessons drawn from his experience at PORSENIGAMA 2025.
The success of Alza and Vaio demonstrates that achievement is not merely a result, but part of a broader learning and personal development process for students. Through discipline, consistency, and support from a positive environment, Alza and Vaio managed to balance academic responsibilities with the development of non-academic interests. Their experiences in sports competitions have become valuable spaces for growth, enriching their journey as students at FEB UGM.
Reported by: Dwi Zhafirah Meiliani
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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