GM So continues rise to fame
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Manilla Bulletin
Grandmaster Wesley So continued his meteoric rise in the international chess stage, reaching a personal-high ELO rating of 2627 for the month of January according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
So’s latest feat was the highest ever achieved by a Filipino player in history, surpassing the ELO 2621 rating of GM Mark Paragua in April 2006.
Overall, the 15-year-old high school student of St. Francis-Bacoor gained 17 ELO points in three months to improve his rating by the end of the year.
“It’s a big honor for me to become the country’s No. 1 player,” So said.
“Pero gagawin ko pa ang lahat ng aking makakaya para mabigyan pa ng mas maraming karangalan an gating bansa,” he added.
So has been unstoppable for the past years.
In January 2005, So erected his rating from 2165 to 2216 the following year. In January 2007, he improved his mark to 2451 before reaching 2526 exactly a year later. Later in October 2008, he was at 2610.
GM Eugene Torre was currently the second highest-rated local player with 2560, matching his October 2008 rating. GM John Paul Gomez was at third with 2539.
Paragua, the first Filipino to breach the ELO 2600 barrier, plummeted at fourth with 2537 despite gaining 11 points in three months.
Completing the top 10 RP chesers are GM Rogelino Antonio (ELO 2519), GM Darwin Laylo (ELO 2504), IM Rolando Nolte (ELO 2504), IM Roland Salvador (ELO 2496), IM Richard Bitoon (ELO 2473) and GM Bong Villamayor (ELO 2471).
Source: http://www.mb.com.ph
me thinks wesley will break 2700 this year.
but he has to play in europe to break 2700.
What the… no go Campo comment from yoyo??
Nice to see Eugene’s 2560 rating and showing the young wannabees he has still got it.
Wesley might make it to 2700 within three years. He needs to easily beat 2500 and below opponents.
And he needs to win a number of strong tournaments before he can do so.
So go Wesley!
In January 2005, So erected his rating from 2165 to 2216 the following year.
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“Erected”? English in the Philippines is really going downhill.
LOL Scugrad,
maybe Wesley took viagra…
Anonymous said “Wesley might make it to 2700 within 3 years”.
Look again, Wesley is doing it this year or early 2010…
chill out hi-scugrad.
your always self righteous putting down of your fellow yoyos is getting old.
your cebuano english ain’t no pure english either.
write something positive. ok, dong?
your bf sugardaddy ain’t too bad.
mebbe wesley will get 2700 sooner. but that is all depending on the strength of tournaments he gets invited to play.
the chinese super super gms bu, wang hue, wang hao, and ni hua did not get to 2700 in 2 or 3 years.
even nakamura took as long too to get to 2700.
the real issue is, can wesley even maintain the 2600 level of play for a long time.