GM Wesley So wins Toronto chess championship
Posted on July 23, 2012 07:57:07 PM
FILIPINO CHESS prodigy Wesley Barbasa So clinched another chess title by winning the Crown Section of the 2012 Toronto International Chess Championship.
The 17-year-old grandmaster from Bacoor, Cavite, formalized his claim to the title at the Annex Chess Club in Toronto, Canada, at the event held last July 15 to 20.
The tournament was played as a seven-round Swiss with 18 participants. The event was organized by the Chess Institute of Canada.
So finished with a total of six points on account of five wins and two draws, half point ahead of his closest rival International Master (IM) Nikolay Noritsyn of Canada. With his latest victory, So, the top player of National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), went home with the top purse of $4,000.
“The Crown Section, hosted by Chess Institute of Canada, is a FIDE Rated Seven-Rounds “Standard” Swiss Event, was participated in by 18 rated players (three GMs, five IMs and two FMs) from four countries (Canada, Lithuania, Israel and Philippines),” said NCFP Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.
“Winning the prestigious 2012 Toronto International Chess Championship is another good news for Philippine Sports,” added Pichay.
According to Pichay, So continues with his Canadian tour with the next event the Quebec Open Chess Championship 2012 from July 21 to 28 at the College Brebeuf in Montreal, Canada.
So will then head to Webster University-SPICE for his full- time study, with a brief two-week interruption to represent the Philippines in the 2012 World Chess Olympiad from Aug. 27 to Sept. 10 in Istanbul, Turkey. — Marlon Bernardino
Source: http://www.bworldonline.com
Impressive.