GM Gomez torn between chess, studies
By Peter Atencio
Manila Standard Today – Philippines
GRANDMASTER John Paul Gomez is torn between two priorities. And he has little time to accomplish both.
The 22-year-old Gomez, the country’s 10th grandmaster, said he will have to make a lot of choices and sacrifices in order to pursue his dreams of becoming a Super GM and a full-pledged mechanical engineer.
“I am still checking my schedule. It may be too late because most of my batchmates will start enrolling in review centers by April. If it happens, hindi muna ako magtu-tournament,” said Gomez after he was given the Athlete of the Year honors last Thursday in the 71st University Athletic Association of the Philippines Annual Awards Night.
Gomez, who was honored during rites held at the Bahay Alumni auditorium of the University of the Philippines-Diliman campus for leading La Salle to the varsity chess crown, has an ELO rating of 2539.
After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree, he feels that his license review also needs to be prioritized. He explained that an ELO rating of 2600 is needed for him to become a Super GM.
A series of international competitions this summer has been laid out for him as well.
So, he will have to juggle his time between his review and his plans to join the Battle of Champions this March 24 in Dapitan, the International Open in Dubai, and the national intercities in Tarlac. He became the first athlete in the league to claim five MVP awards.
Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com
Does he have a chance to break 2600?
He is 22 and 2500. He is much better off being a mechanical engineer. He will never be a super gm (at least 2700).
Unless you can reach the very top, it is much wiser for most gms to make a living doing thing more stable and profitable. For a 2500 gm to take up chess full time he should be prepared to not care about how much money he make.