He has a potential to be a world champion

Pinoy chess whiz So wins in key Dutch tilt
abs-cbnNEWS.com 02/02/2009 5:27 PM

Filipino chess whiz Wesley So took the crown in Group C of the prestigious Corus Chess Tournament at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, over the weekend.

The 15-year-old Grandmaster quickly split the point with GM David Howel of England to score 9.5 points in 13 rounds and claim his title in Group C.

The Corus Chess Tournament has three groups. The world’s top-ranked players are in Group A while lower-ranked players are in Group B and Group C.

Before drawing with Howel, So posted back-to-back wins over international master Manuel Bosboom of the Netherlands in the 11th round and erstwhile leader GM Tiger Hillarp Persson of Sweden in the 12th.

So, the country’s highest-ever rated player with an ELO rating of 2627, was the top seed in Group C’s 14 player-field with an average rating of 2521.

Persson and GM-elect Anish Giri of Russia settled for 2nd to 3rd place, respectively, with 8.5 points each.

Fellow Filipino chess players raved over So’s victory.

“Talagang inaasahan natin at paboritong manalo si Wesley (So) sa Corus Chess. Makikita naman y’an sa mga past performance n’ya sa local at international tournament at sa kanyang Elo rating points,” reigning US Open champion IM Enrico “Ikong” Sevillano told sports writer Marlon Bernerdino.

“Talagang magaling na si Wesley (So), very talented y’ung bata,” said Ruben Ondangan, a former University of Manila (UM) stand-out.

So is the second Filipino invited to play in Corus Invitational Chess, which began in 1938. The first was Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre in 1981.

“Wesley is a rare find,” Torre earlier said. “He has an exceptional talent and has a potential to be a world champion. This is a great opportunity to have a kid like him. He is still young and dynamic. He has a bright future, and we all need to support him.”

as of 02/02/2009 6:01 PM http://www.abs-cbnnews.com