Is Wesley So migrating to Canada?
Thursday, October 18, 2012
WESLEY So is the best player the Philippines has ever produced.
So became a grandmaster at 14 years, one month and 28 days, making him the eighth youngest in the history of chess. In October 2008, he was rated 2610 and thus became the youngest player to become a Super GM at that time.
So was born in Bacoor, Cavite on Oct. 9, 1993 to William and Eleanor So, who are both accountants. His father taught him to play chess at age six. He started to compete in junior active chess tournaments at a very early age.
Now there is a possibility that Wesley might migrate to Canada and the Philippines could lose a potential world champion. Remember WIM Arianne Caoli who migrated to Australia several years ago? She played board 1 for Australia in the last Olympiad in Istanbul.
In fact, Wesley’s family has been living in Canada for two years now and being a minor, Wesley was surely also approved as immigrant.
He has been in Canada for some time and won both the Toronto Invitational and the Quebec Open recently.
Right now, Wesley is studying as a freshman-scholar at Webster University in St. Louis under the Spice (Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence) program.
The Spice Cup 2012 tournament is now ongoing and the players are (all GMs): Le Quang Liem, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Ding Liren, Csaba Balogh, Wesley So and Georg Meier.
Only four games out of 15 have been decisive and after five rounds Wesley and Maxime are leading with 3 points.
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph
He should immigrate to Russia.
Migrating to Canada doesn’t mean he cannot continue to play for the Philippines. Even if he does acquire Canadian citizenship, he need not give up his Filipino citizenship. This is the best that can happen to Wesley. His family lives more comfortably, he gets good education, chess training, and tournament exposure in the US, and he continues to play Board 1 for PH.
Kindness of Coach Susan Polgar is keeping So from leaving Philippines. Sad to note that the institutionalized corruption in that country’s chess governing body, NCFP (National Chess Federation of the Phils), is killing any young potential chess player to blossom. They have no program or dedicated coaching staff due to disappearing funds that are never investigated. These corrupt practices discourages any Filipino like So to stay there and keep on hoping that funding for their training is provided. Part to blame is their President – Benigno Aquino Jr, who up to now, for some reason or out of fear, just couldn’t fire his uncle, Peping Cojuangco from his post as Philippine Olympic Committee Chair – the umbrella organization of all local sports federation. Mr. Cojuangco remains the cancer in Philippine sports that’s why that island nation is widely as regarded as the ‘Sick Man of
Asia’. In sports, Philippines is always THE FIRST in Asia, benefiting from being a former US colony where the Americans introduced them all popular sports. But over half a century later, the rest of her Asian counterparts left her behind. Chess (Torre as Asia’s 1st GM) & basketball (Asia’s 1st professional league) & football (established 1908) are best examples of being the 1st but eventually lagged behind from her neighbors.
Say it isn’t So.. 🙁