1st shot against the big boys

Nakamura And So Face World’s Elite In Netherlands
By MIKE WILMERING
NPR

The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, started last week, and for once, super-GM Hikaru Nakamura is not the only St. Louis representative competing against the world’s best.

Nakamura, the U.S. No. 1, is no stranger to top-level tourneys. But for GM Wesley So, a Webster University sophomore, Tata Steel is his first-ever super-elite event.

So, a native of the Philippines, joined Susan Polgar’s internationally renowned SPICE program in 2012, and he’s experienced remarkable growth in that short time span. So has improved his rating from around 2650 to 2732, and he’s on the verge of cracking into the world’s top 20. At just 20 years old, who knows where his potential might lead.

“He has the talent to reach the top 5 [in the world],” Polgar said. “Obviously he needs a lot more experience. … He’s really young. He’s really talented. He’s really motivated and hardworking.”

Polgar credits So’s enthusiasm to learn, grow and adapt for his continued improvement.

“Despite being already a very successful player at around 2650, he was very willing and eager to learn and make changes that I recommended for him,” Polgar said.

She also said the coaching doesn’t stop just because he’s playing in a top-level event. Polgar spends a couple of hours each day exchanging emails about game strategy, conducting training sessions via Skype and helping So manage the psychological aspects of competing at the top level.

So got off to a great start by winning his first-round game and drawing Nakamura in round two. He followed that up with draws in rounds three and four and then defeated GM Boris Gelfand, a former World Championship challenger, in round five.

But there’s no easy day in Wijk aan Zee.

Full article here.