Chess phenom So nears Super GM dream
By Marlon Bernardino
Cebu Daily News First
Posted 07:52:00 12/11/2009

FOR his recent string of success in top international chess tournaments, young Filipino chess phenom GM Wesley So is now on the threshold of fulfilling his life-long dream of achieving Super Grandmaster status.

A chess player needs an ELO rating of at least 2700 to earn a Super GM title also known as the “Hydra GM” status.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines head Prospero Pichay said So’s feat of reaching the fourth round in the recent 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty- Mansiyk, Russia proves that the Filipino GM is very capable of breaking the 2700 barrier.

“He’d probably attain super grandmaster status in 12 months time,” said Pichay.

So of Bacoor, Cavite has an ELO rating of 2640 and is ranked No. 7 among the world’s junior chess players. He was the last Asian and youngest player to reach the fourth round of the World Cup.

The competition saw the 16-year-old So vanquishing World Chess Cup defending champion Super GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3. So also upset world No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2. His run was stopped when he lost to Russian super GM Vladimir Malakhov (ELO 2706) in the fourth round.

Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net

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