Wesley moves up to No. 64

MANILA, Philippines - GM Wesley So continued his steady climb to the world ranking, moving up to No. 64 after gaining 9.3 points in the latest International Chess Federation (FIDE) rating list.

It was the highest rating ever reached by a Filipino with the 16-year-old So tipped to improve more as he competes in top level tournaments in the next few years.

So, the seventh youngest in the world to clinch the GM title, earned 9.3 points in the recent Corus B Chess in the Netherlands and Aeroflot Chess in Russia for a 2665 ELO rating as he climbed from No. 77 last January to No. 64 this month.

He is now the No. 2 player in the world in the U-18 (active players) category and No.1 in Asia in the same category.

“I would like to break the 2700 ELO barrier,” said So, one of the major awardees in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night last Monday.


“For sure he (So) will have a chance to break that barrier since we have more international tournaments lined up for him,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/chairman Butch Pichay Jr.

But while So improved, the Philippines faltered and slid two notches down to No. 33 in the world ranking.

GMs Joey Antonio Jr. and Darwin Laylo, IM Banjo Barcenilla, GMs John Paul Gomez and Eugene Torre are the next top Filipino players with ratings of 2572, 2527, 2518, 2507, and 2506, respectively.

Despite completing his three GM norms, the US-based Barcenilla, the former Asian junior champion, remains an IM.

Mark Paragua, who reached the super-GM status five years ago, landed at No. 7 with 2497 followed by Europe-based GM Joseph Sanchez (2493), IM Roland Salvador (2483) and IM Richard Bitoon (2476).

GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway posted a career-high of 2813 rating to retain his No. 1 world ranking in the FIDE March 2010 rating list.

Carlsen added 3.0 ELO points more to his January 2010 rating to firm up his hold of the top spot.

GM Judith Polgar of Hungary still leads the distaff side with 2682.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

Wesley So seeks ‘three-peat’ in Battle of GMs tilt

Fresh from bagging the Aeroflot Open's top junior player plum, GM Wesley So seeks an unprecedented third straight title when the 2010 “Battle of GMs" chess championships come off the wraps on March 15-22 in Dapitan City.

So, who dominated the first two editions, will set out as the prohibitive favorite anew in this prestigious tournament featuring the country’s brightest woodpushers.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion, who was voted as the “Chess Player of the Year" by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), arrived only last Feb. 21 from Moscow, Russia after competing in the Aeroflot Open.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman Prospero Pichay said So is expected to put up another strong performance in the Battle of GMs but the rest of the participants are tipped to give the highly-rated player a run for his money.

Out to foil So’s “three-peat" are GMs Rogelio Antonio, Jr., who finished runner-up last year, Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre and reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo.

Like So, Antonio and Laylo also saw action in the recent World Chess Cup held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia last December.

Also vying for honors in the men’s division are GMs John Paul Gomez, Mark Paragua, Jayson Gonzales and Bong Villamayor, IMs Ronald Dableo, Richard Bitoon and Rolando Nolte, and FM Haridas Pascua.

In the women’s division, WFM Shercila Cua defends her crown against an equally-tough field which includes her younger sister WFM Sherily Cua as well as Cheradee Chardine Camacho and WIM Beverly Mendoza.

The other participants in the female division are WFMs Catherine Perena and Cherry Ann Mejia, WNMs Daisy Rivera, Christy Lamiel Bernales, Jedara Docena, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Loreshyl Quizon and Akiko Charmaine Suede.

A guaranteed cash prize of P800,000 will be at stake in the tournament with the champion in the men’s division bringing home the top prize of P200,000 and the winner in the women’s category pocketing P60,000.

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV

So, Laylo compete in World Blitz prelims

After competing in the Aeroflot Open 2010 in Moscow, Russia, Filipino Grandmasters (GMs) Wesley So and Darwin Laylo headed straight to the World Blitz Championship-Preliminaries.

So, who defended his junior title in Aeroflot, finished 62nd in the World Blitz prelims after scoring 9.5 points.

Laylo, on the other hand, finished 114th in the 156-player field by scoring 7.5 points.

French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave topped the event with 13.5 points, and qualified for the World Blitz Championship to be held in Moscow in November 2010.

Source: Marlon Bernardino  | abs-cbnnew.com

So claims 2nd jr plum, places 11th

MOSCOW, Russia – Grandmaster Wesley So bagged the top junior award for the second straight year in the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championships at the Hotel Gamma-Delta of the Ismailovo Tourist Complex here.

So, playing black, agreed to a final-round draw with GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela after only 10 moves of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted to finish in a tie for seventh to 19th places with 5.5 points on three wins, five draws and only one loss in the prestigious, nine-round tournament.

Overall, So finished in 11th place after the tiebreak – a big improvement from his performance last year when he finished in a tie for 19th to 36th places with five points on three wins, four draws and two losses.

But the draw was also more than enough for the 16-year-old Filipino champion to bring home the top junior trophy given to the highest-placed player 18 years old and below for the second year in a row.

Final standings after nine rounds:

7 points – L. Q.Liem (Vietnam)

6.5 – A. Korobov (Russia)

6 – A. Motylev (Russia), Z. Jianchao (China), N.N. ,Truong Son (Vietnam), B. ,Grachev (Russia).

5.5 – I. Cheparinov (Bulgaria), M. Vachier-Lagrave (France), I. Nepomnichtchi (Russia), B. ,Xiangzhi (China), W. ,So (RP), G, Sargissian (Armenia), B,. Savchenko (Russia), E. Bacrot (France), A. Timofeev (Russia), E. Bareev (Russia), E. ,Najer (Russia), E. Iturrizaga (Venezuela), A. Dreev (Russia)

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

Wesley bows out with another draw

MANILA, Philippines - GM Wesley So played to a draw against GM Zhou Jianchao of China and bowed out of contention in the eighth round of the Aeroflot Open chess tournament at the Izmailovo Gamma-Delta Hotel in Moscow Tuesday.

So initiated an early attack on the black’s kingside but the lower-rated Chinese defended well with the King’s Indian and forced the Filipino champion to accept the draw offer after 34 moves.

The standoff all but dashed So’s title as the 16-year-old student from St. Francis College-Cavite fell behind by one point with one round left in the tournament. He had 5 points.

GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam share the lead with six points, half a point ahead of former champion GM Ian Nepomnichtchi of Russia, GM Anton Korobov of Ukraine and GM Boris Grachev of Russia.

So hopes to close out his campaign with a victory against GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela in the final round Wednesday.


Iturrizaga toppled last year’s co-champion GM Alexander Moiseenko of Ukraine to match So’s output.

Le trounced erstwhile co-leader GM Boris Savchenko of Russia, while Nguyen shocked GM Evgeniy Najer of Russia to gain a share of the lead.

Korobov defeated GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany, while Nepomniachtchi and Grachev battled to a draw for joint third with 5.5 points.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

GM So draws 7th-round match, stays in the hunt

MOSCOW - GM Wesley So of the Philippines battled and GM Artyom Timofeev of Russia to a short and uneventful draw in the seventh round but remained within striking distance in the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess tournament at the Hotel Gamma-Delta.

So, seeded 17th with an ELO of 2656, and Timofeev, ranked 20th with ELO 2652, decided to split the point after the Russian’s 21st move, capturing the Filipino’s pawn on c6 with his knight.

The two players, however, have the same number of pieces on the board – queen, rook, bishop and five pawns for the Filipino, and queen, rook, knight and five pawns for the Russian when they agreed to a standoff.

The draw, which he achieved from the black side of the board, enabled So to remain in a tie for sixth to 16th places with 4.5 points, only half a point behind GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Boris Savchenko and Boris Grachev, all of Russia, and GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, both of Vietnam.

At the same time, So boosted his chances to capture the top junior award for the second straight year.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion, who has three wins, three draws and only one loss in the tough, nine-round tournament, is half a point ahead of GM Sanan Sjugirov of Russia and a full point ahead of GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan for the top plum for junior players.

Last year, So edged Safarli, Sjugirov and GM Ray Robson of the United States for the award.

So, who was voted as the “Chess Player of the Year" by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), resumes his campaign when he plays white against No. 33 seed GM Zhou Jianchao of China in the penultimate eighth round.

Jianchao (ELO 2632), however, is fresh from a stunning upset win over former world championship candidate GM Gata Kamsky of the United States in their seventh-round showdown.

A win by So over Jianchao will further boost his chances for at least a Top 10 finish in this annual 80-player tournament.

A big letdown was GM Darwin Laylo, the only other Filipino campaigner in the tournament.

Laylo (ELO 2556) bowed to GM Alexei Iljushin (ELO 2551) of Russia and remained in the bottom of the standings with only one draw and six losses.

The campaigner from Lipa City was not paired in the eighth round.

In other seventh round results, Nepomniachtchi whipped GM Arman Pashikian of Armenia, Savchenko crushed GM Giovanni Vescovi of Brazil, Grachev drew with Truong Son and Le split the point with GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany.

Top seed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France trounced GM Loek van Wely of the Netherlands to move into a tie for sixth to 16th places with 4.5 points.

Defending champion GM Etienne Bacrot of France settled for another draw with GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India to join the 4.5 pointers.

Last year’s co-champion GM Alexander Moiseenko of Ukraine also drew his match against GM Vadim Zvjagisnev of Russia to lag behind with only four points.

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV

Wesley So draws with Pashikian

Filipino GM Wesley So (2656) played white and drew his game against GM Arman Pashikian (ELO 2642) of Armenia in round six of the Aeroflot Open 2010 Tournament in Moscow, Russia.

The players castled on opposite sides of a Queen’s gambit and the game ended in a bishop and pawn endgame.


The 16 year old prodigy has four points and is still half a point behind the two leaders, Qiang Liem Le and Boris Grachev. So scored back to back wins against GM’s Alexandr Rakhmanov of Russia and Hrant Melkumyam of Armenia after losing to GM Ngoc Truongson Nguyen of Vietnam.

So drew his first game against GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran and then won against GM Dmitry Bocharov of Russia.

Source: Rene Bonsubre  | PhilBoxing

Wesley So whips Russian foe as Laylo draws match

Wesley So

MOSCOW - GM Wesley So of the Philippines produced another strong effort with the white pieces, pulling off a resounding victory over GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov of Russia in the pivotal fourth round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship at the Hotel Gamma-Delta Friday (Manila time).

So, at 16 already one of the world’s most successful junior players, threw caution to the wind and battled it out with the lower-rated Russian player (ELO 2591) in a furious middle game before coming away with the win in 35 moves.

The 17th-seeded Filipino champion (ELO 2656), who bagged the top junior award here last year, pounced on a blunder by Rakhmanov on the 26th move and captured his opponent’s queen with a rook three moves later.

When the end came, So had a queen, bishop and five pawns against the Russian’s rook, two bishops and six pawns. So, however, is on the verge of gobbling up Rakhmanov’s unprotected rook with 35. Qg8.

The win followed So’s heart-breaking setback to fellow child prodigy GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in the third round Thursday, a game the Filipino blew with the disadvantageous black pieces.

But more importantly, the win enabled the Cavite-based So to vault into a tie for ninth to 33rd places with 2.5 points with still five rounds remaining.

So, who has two wins, one draw and one loss, is only a full point behind Nguyen and another Vietnamese campaigner, GM Le Quang Liem.

The 40th-seeded Nguyen followed up his stirring upset win over So with another gigantic triumph over No. 20 seed GM Artyom Timofeev of Russia.

Le, for his part, halved the point with GM Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria in the other featured fourth-round encounter.

So will meet No. 59 GM Hrant Melkumyan of Armenia in the fifth round late Saturday.

Melkumyan, one of four Armenian players in the 80-player field, has one win and three draws so far.

Reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo drew with IM Alexandre Danin of Russia to finally snap a three-game losing skid.

The Lipa City-based Laylo lost his first three games against GMs Rauf Mamedov and Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan and GM Markus Ragger of Austria.

In the fifth-round, Laylo (ELO 2556) will take on GM Josep Manu Martinez (ELO 2593) of Spain.

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV

Wesley yields to Viet GM, slips to 36th

MOSCOW, Russia – GM Wesley So of the Philippines put up a brave stand before losing to GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in an all-Asian showdown in the third round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship at the Hotel Gamma-Delta of the Ismailovo Tourist Complex here late Thursday.

So, seeded 17th with an ELO of 2656, resigned after Nguyen’s 40th move with the 20-year-old Vietnamese champion set to launch a strong rook-bishop attack on So’s exposed king on the g-file.

A former child prodigy who won the world under-10 championship in 2000, Nguyen earlier gave up a knight for two pawns on his 24th move to gain attacking chances against So.

The loss, which followed a draw with GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran in the first round and a win over Dmitry Bocharov of Russia in the second round, relegated So in a tie for 36th in the 80-player field with 1.5 points in three rounds.

It was a bad day for the Filipinos.


Reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo lost for the third time, bowing to GM Markus Ragger of Austria.

Laylo was two pawns down but decided to battle Ragger in a hopeless position in the endgame.

The Austrian had a rook, bishop and two pawns against the Filipino’s rook and knight.

Laylo accepted the inevitable after Ragger’s 82nd move with the Filipino on the verge of losing another piece to prevent white’s pawn from promotion.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

Wesley turns back Russian in 32 moves

MOSCOW – GM Wesley So came back strong in the second round and hammered out an impressive win over GM Dmitry Bocharov of Russia in the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship at the Hotel Gamma-Delta of the Ismailovo Tourist Complex here late Wednesday.

So, who settled for a draw with GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran in the opening round Tuesday, emerged from a tense middle game battle and came away with the victory in 32 moves of the Sicilian Defense Taimanov variation.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion, who bagged the top junior award in the same tournament last year, pounced on a blunder by the lower-rated Russian on the 29th and sealed the win three moves later.

Although falling behind on clock, So maneuvered his queen, bishops and kingside pawns towards Bocharov’s king in the endgame.

The win hiked So‘s output to 1.5 points for a share of third in the 80-player tournament.


So stood half a point behind GM Bu Xiang Zhi of China and GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam, who swept their first two matches.

Bu toppled GM Boris Savchenko of Russia, while Le shocked defending champion GM Etienne Bacrot of France.

Top seed GM Macime Vachier-Lagrave of France whipped IM Mikhaiel Krylov of Russia to join So and 30 others in the 1.5-pointer group.

So takes on Southeast Asian rival GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam in the third round.

Nguyen, seeded 40th, outclassed GM Stanislav Novikov of Russia.

But while So got going, compatriot and reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo reeled back with a second straight setback.

Laylo battled former world junior campaigner GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan on even terms with the black but later lost a piece in the ensuing exchanges. He resigned after 48 moves.

In the third round, Laylo will meet GM Markus Ragger of Austria.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

So, Laylo seek better finish in Aeroflot chess tourney

Filipino Grandmasters Wesley So and Darwin Laylo will begin their quest Monday in the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess championship in Moscow, Russia. So and Laylo will compete in the centerpiece Category A for players with ELO rating higher than 2549.

“It’s a new challenge for me. It’s like in Corus. There are lots of good players in this tournament,” said So, who finished in a tie for fourth to fifth places in Group B in the Corus tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.

Laylo, the reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion, is fresh from a respectable performance in the recent World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia late last year.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines President Prospero Pichay expressed confidence that both So and Laylo will again do well in Aeroflot.

“Even with his fourth-place finish in Corus, Wesley is playing very well. He is getting a lot of attention in the chess world even from foreign chess organizers who invite him to join their tournaments,” said Pichay.

“Darwin, who topped the Asian Zonals, is just as good and talented,” added Pichay.

The total prize fund in the Aeroflot tournament is 70,000 euros, with the champion getting the lion’s share of 21,000 euros, the runner-up receiving 12,000 euros and the third placer pocketing 7,000 euros.

Other notable players invited in Division A-1 this year are GMs Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany, Bu Xiangzhi of China, Gabriel Sargisian of Armenia, Alexander Onischuk of the United States, Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belarus, Tigran Petrosian and Arman Pashikian of Armenia, Murtas Kazgaeyev of Kazkahstan, Rauf Mamedov of Uzbekistan, Ilia Smirin and Maxim Rodshtein of Israel, Vadim Milov of Switzerland and Evgeny Tomashevsky, Alexander Riazantsev, Dimitry Bocharov, Vadim Zvjaginsev and Pavel Smirnov of Russia.

Source: Emil Noguera  | The Manila Times

So, Antonio and Laylo all set for Aeroflot chess

Grandmasters (GM) Wesley So, Rogelio “Joey” Antonio, Jr. and Darwin Laylo are all ready for the Aeroflot Open 2010 which will be held on February 8 in Moscow, Russia.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. expressed confidence that the 3 Filipino players will perform well and make the country proud anew.

“We expect our three players, especially Wesley, to do well in the Aeroflot chess in Moscow,” he said.

The Aeroflot Open is an annual event, considered as one of the world’s strongest Swiss-system FIDE (World Chess Federation) weeklong tournament.

The 16-year-old So is aiming to improve his joint 19th place finish in the A1 group last year.

So tallied 5 points on 3 wins, 4 draws and 2 loses in 9 outings and landed overall 37th after the tiebreak points were applied. GM Etienne Bacrot of France and GM Alexander Moisenko of Ukraine settled for the 1st and 2nd place finish with 6.5 points each.

So is coming off a successful stint at the Corus International Chess Championship in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.

So tallied 7.5 points on 3 wins, 9 draws, the same output of Dutch GM Erwin L'Ami. However, after the tiebreak points were applied, So landed overall 5th place in Corus B.

Last December, the triumvirate of So, Antonio and Laylo saw in action in the World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiyk, Russia.

So, the top Filipino rated player with a FIDE rating of 2656, defeated GMs Gader Gusienov of Azerbaijan, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and Gata Kamsky of the United States but lost to GM Vladimir Malakhov of Russia in the 4th round.

The 12-time national open champion Antonio, a sergeant at the Headquarters Service Support Group (HSSG) of the Philippine Army under the baton of Commanding Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, bowed to Kamsky in the 1st round.

Laylo, meantime, yielded to Czech GM David Navarra.

Source: Marlon Bernardino  | abs-cbnnew.com

Anish Giri beats Wesley So in key Corus B matchup

Corus B Tournament leader leader Anish Giri of Holland beat Wesley So of the Philippines in a crucial 11th round clash Friday night (Manila Time) that could potentially decide the winner of the tournament.

GM So opened with 1.e4 and GM Giri responded with the Petroff defense (1….e5 2. Nf3 Nf6).

The 15 year old Giri is currently the youngest active grandmaster in the world and has usually uses the Sicilian against e4. Giri launched an attack and sacrificed his knight then his bishop to open up lines towards So’s king. So defended well but seemed to have inaccuracies. Giri was also tenacious.

The game ended in 36 moves with Giri on the verge of a checkmate. This was So’s first loss in the tournament after three wins and seven draws.

Giri was born to a Nepalese father and Russian mother. He became a chess grandmaster when he was 14 years and seven months old. He has been residing in Holland since 2008.

Going into the eleventh round of the tournament, So had 6 ½ points and shared second place together with Ni Hua of China and Erwin L'Ami of Holland. They trailed Giri by a half a point.

In 2007, the 16 year old So became the youngest Filipino grandmaster at the age of 14 years and 1 month. He is also the youngest Filipino International Master at the age of 12 years and 10 months. Last year, he won the Corus chess tournament for the Grandmaster C group.

GM So still has a chance to win with two remaining games against David Howell on Saturday and his final game this Sunday will be against female GM Anna Muzychuk, who dealt Giri his only loss so far last Tuesday.

Source: Rene Bonsubre  | PhilBoxing

So faces leader in vital tiff

WIJK AAN ZEE, Netherlands — Grandmaster Wesley So and GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands meet in a crucial match in the 11th round Friday of the 72nd Corus chess tournament at the De Moriaan Community Centre here.

So, seeking a fitting follow-up to his smashing triumph in Group C last year, will handle the white pieces when he meets the lower-rated but equally talented hometown bet.

Giri is nursing a slim half-point lead over So and two other players with three rounds remaining in the category-16, 14-player event.

A win by the 16-year-old Filipino champion, who rose to prominence by becoming the world’s seventh youngest GM in 2006, will likely make him the solo leader or joint leader depending on the outcome of the matches of GM Ni Hua of China and GM Erwin l’ Ami of the Netherlands.

Ni takes on GM Pentala Harikrisha while l’ Ami battles IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia in other crucial matches.


A draw between So and Giri will enable them to maintain their 1-2 positions going into the final two rounds .

of the two-week long competition on Saturday and Sunday.

“Wesley has a very good chance of beating Giri, especially since he is playing white,” said Filipino GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., who helped out S in his strong showing in the recent World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia last month.

“Wesley has been doing well, including his pacing. Giri is also at a disadvantage coming off that ninth-round upset loss to Muzychuk,” added Antonio, ranked second behind So in the list of top Filipino players.

Antonio said So appears to be on a hot streak after winning three of his previous five matches.

The Filipino champ topped GM Tomi Nyback of Finland in the 10th round Wednesday, raising his record to 6.5 points on three wins and seven draws.

He also scored wins over second seed GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania and GM Dimitri Reinderman of the Netherlands in the sixth and seventh rounds.

So is one of only two players still unbeaten in the tournament with the other being l’Ami.

Giri, who became the youngest player to earn a GM title in chess history of Russia (where he was affiliated when he achieved his GM title) and Netherlands, is fresh from a draw with top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany in the 10 the round.

Before the draw with Naidtisch, the St. Petersburg, Russia-born Giri suffered his first and only setback at the hands of lone female participant IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia in the ninth round Tuesday.

After Giri, So’s remaining opponents are Howell in the 12th round and Muzychuk in the 13th round.

So drew his first five matches with Naiditsch, l’Ami, GM Varuzhan Akobian of the United States, Negi and GM Pentala Harikrishna of India.

After winning over Nisipeanu and Reindermann, he drew his next two matches against GM Ni Hua of China in the eighth round and GM Emil Sutovsky of Israel in the ninth round.

Last year, So topped Group C with a 13-round total of 9.5 points on seven wins, five draws and only one loss.

He finished a full point ahead of Giri and GM Tiger Hillarp Persson of Sweden.

Source: Author Unknown  | Philstar.com

So beats Reinderman for second straight win

GM Wesley So played the white pieces in his 7th round game against Dutch GM Dimitri Reinderman and won after 36 moves of a Dutch defense.

The 16 year old So played 1. d4 and the 37 year old Reinderman employed the Stonewall variation of the defense which is his favourite against d4.

With the battle waged on the queenside, So produced an advantageous endgame position with a passed pawn on the a file with his queen, rook and two bishops versus Reiderman’s Queen and two rooks.

The game ended with So’s white square bishop skewering the Dutch GM’s rooks.

After five straight draws, So won his sixth round game against Romanian GM Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu with the black pieces. So now has 4.5 points. He entered the seventh round trailing leader Anish Giri by 1.5.

Source: Rene Bonsubre  | PhilBoxing

Wesley So Scores First Full Point in Corus B

Filipino chess prodigy Wesley So won his first game after five straight draws in the sixth round of the Corus B tournament in Holland. So played the black pieces against Romanian GM Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu.

Nisipeanu used the Reti opening (1.Nf3). So was a pawn up after 17 moves. The 33 year old Nisipeanu was pushed to the defensive as the 16 year old So slowly consolidated his advantage and gained another pawn. The game ended after 35 moves with So’s two knights and Rook poised to surround the white king.

Source: Rene Bonsubre  | PhilBoxing