So thinks of life as a chess board

Chess team member Wesley So thinks of life as a chess board 
by Katelyn Gosik 
April 3, 2013 

As a child, Wesley So said he used to make connections between the chess board and other objects in his life. His mother said she believed this was a sign that So had a knack for chess. So is a Webster University freshman and Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) member. He is also a Filipino chess grandmaster.

“The bishops move diagonally,” So said.  “When I was in elementary school, our chairs in the classroom were set up diagonally. I made the connection to the bishop and it made chess more interesting for me.”

So’s father taught him chess when he was 7 years old. By age 10, So was already playing in his first international world youth competition in Greece. According to Chess News, at 14, So became the eighth-youngest chess grandmaster in history.

“We bought Wesley various toys when he was a kid, and we just noticed that he was only interested in playing chess,” Eleanor So, Wesley So’s Mother, said. “He had things like a small billiard table and a basketball, which he did not even bother to touch it. I believe that each child has a talent. For Wesley, it’s chess.”

Wesley So was born in Cavite, Philippines. He graduated high school at the age of 16. He took two years off school before coming to Webster University to focus on chess. It was during those two years that he met Susan Polgar.

Susan Polgar is the director of SPICE — Webster’s chess program. Wesley So and Polgar met while he was playing in a tournament at Texas Tech University. Polgar taught at Texas Tech before being hired at Webster last fall.

“I’m really happy and proud to have him on our team,” Polgar said. “He’s truly an exceptional young man. And not only is he a great chess player, but he is also a great human being. I am honored to contribute to his further development.”

Wesley So said he found it interesting that Polgar moved to Webster because it is a small, private university — unlike Texas Tech.

Wesley So said Polgar creates goals for each player. Together, they set up a plan on how to reach them. Polgar checks on the players’ progress during their weekly preparation meetings.

“He is in one of the best universities in the world,” Eleanor So said. “And he is with general manager Susan Polgar, the world’s greatest grandmaster. It really is a dream come true for Wesley.”

Full article here.