WESLEY SO BACK IN WORLD’S TOP 100 FIDE RATING LIST; HYDRA GRANDMASTER STATUS INCH CLOSER

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—THE 365 days of our 2009 are almost over but for RP’s brightest hope Wesley Barbasa So, he just started his phenomenal chess career.

This was after the World Chess Federation (FIDE) release yesterday the expected rating change of the 16-year-old whiz kid from Bacoor, Cavite who will be back in the top world’s 100 player next month.

His sterling performance in this year’s World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia after beating World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2 and World Chess Cup last year’s titlist GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3, gained him 15.8 points and he is expected rating is now 2656 if the January 1, 2010 FIDE-RP rating list will formally release in few days. His currently Elo rating is 2640. His best Elo rating is 2646 in July 2009 then lost two Elo in September 2009 (2644) and four Elo in November 2009 (2640).

Mark Paragua, the 1998 World Rapid U-14 champion in Disneyland, France highest 2621 Elo rating points in April 2006 during his peaked.

Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre, meantime highest 2580 Elo rating points, during his prime in the mid 80’s which he topped the Toluca, Mexico Inter-Zonal.

“I dream that sooner or later, I will come to the magical point 2700. I don’t know how much time I will need for that,” said the 2009 Corus Group C champion So, whose local and international campaign is being supported by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. and Filway Marketings Inc. CEO/President Hector “Chito” Tagaysay.

So is invited to play in the Group B section of 72nd (seventy second) Corus chess tournament on January 15 to 31, 2020 at the Wijk Aan Zee, a North Sea resort in the Netherlands.

Eugene Torre, the Asia’s First grandmaster who often compares Wesley So to Bobby Fisher, has stated for a local radio program, “The talent and skills are already there and he has proven that. This year could be a test of character and nerves for him because everybody knows him already.”

A grandmaster (GM) who hold an Elo rating 2500 and above had affixed name of “International Grandmaster”, while a GM have an Elo rating 2600 and above dubbed as “Super Grandmaster” and a GM have an Elo rating 2700 and above will be called “Hydra Grandmaster” with So main target.

So was ousted in the world’s top 100 list in the November 2009 FIDE rating chart while Michael Krasenkov of Poland, Alexander Lastin of Russia and Arman Pashikian of Armenia tallied 2656 Elo rating points and was tied at 69 to 71^st spot followed by Alexey Dreev of Russia, Vladimir Baklan of Ukraine and Boris Avrukh of Israel joints 72 to 74^th spots with 2655 Elo rating points.

Participants in Corus Group B are GMs Ni Hua of China, Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany; Emil Sutovsky of Israel, Pentala Harikrishna of India, Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, Varuzhan Akobian of the USA, David Howell of England, Parimarjan Negi of India, Tomi Nyback of Finland, Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia, Erwin l’Ami, Dimitri Reinderman and Anish Giri of the Netherlands.

In Corus Group A participants are GMs Viswanathan Anand of India, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, Peter Leko of Hungary, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, Hikaru Nakamura of USA, Alexei Shirov of Spain, Sergey Karjakin of Russia (winner of Corus A last year), Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba, Nigel Short of England, Sergey Tiviakov of Netherlands, Fabiano Caruana of Italy (winner of Corus B last year), and Loek van Wely and Jan Smeets of the Netherlands.

There are three sections in tough Corus chess—A, B and C, according to chess columnist Frank “Boy” Pestano. “Wesley has been invited to play in Group B. To be invited to Corus is like to be invited to the White House.” He added.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.