Webster U GM Wesley So honored in Canada for winning World University Championship

Fil-Canadian senator honors So for Kazan gold
Published : Thursday, August 01, 2013 00:00 
Written by : Ed Andaya

HERE’S good news to fans and supporters of chess superstar GM Wesley So (who just completed his freshman year at Webster University).

So was honored by Filipino-Canadian Sen. Tobias C. Enverga, Jr. of Ontario, Canada for bringing honors to the Philippines with his gold-medal winning performance in the recent 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.

The 19-year-old Filipino champion, who made history by becoming the country’s first-ever gold medalist in the Universiade while representing the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP), was presented with a certificate of recognition by Sen. Enverga during a courtesy call in Ontario.

So, on the other hand, showed Sen. Enverga his Kazan Universiade gold and shared some photos of his successful campaign in the prestigious competition billed as the ‘Olympics’ of university athletes.

The two also played chess during the visit.

Sen. Enverga is the first Filipino-Canadian elected in the City of Toronto and serves as trustee to the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

He is co-chair of the Asian Heritage Month Celebration for the Greater Toronto Area and was previously a director of the Canadian Multicultural Council- Asians in Ontario.

He is also the founder of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation and a former president of the Philippine Independence Day Council.

A graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the Letran College-Manila, Enverga was the recipient of the Queen’s 60th Diamond Jubilee medal of distinction in 2012.

FESSAP president David Ong congratulated So for his newest honor, saying the recognition given by the Filipino-Canadian senator is also an honor to the country.

“FESSAP is very happy to be a part of So’s historic gold medal in the Kazan Universiade. It’s really a once-in-a lifetime achievement and a big honor for the Filipino people,” said Ong after being informed of So’s award of recognition from Ontario, Canada.

Ong said Sen. Antotio Trillanes IV has also prepared a Senate resolution commending So for his success in the Kazan Universiade.

He noted that Sen. Trillanes also sponsored a Senate resolution when taekwondo star Samuel Thomas Morrison of Far Eastern University bagged the silver medal during the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China in 2011.

In Kazan, So defeated former world junior champion GM Zaven Andriasian of Armenia in their Armageddon game to capture the coveted gold medal.

So and Andriasian finished in a nine-way tie for first place after the nine-round competition and ended tied again after three tiebreakers, forcing tournament director Aleksandr Tkachiev to order the one-game playoff where white had five minutes and black had four minutes.

The Armenian won the toss coin and chose to play white.

The Filipino, however, clinched the win in a threat of a mate after 51 moves.

And for the first time, the Philippine flag was raised high in the Universiade ahead of the flags of Armenia and China while So and the rest of the participants stood in attention.

It was also So’s first-ever gold medal in the Universiade, also known s the World University Games.

Meanwhile, Balitang Canada will feature So and his successful performance in the Kazan Universiade in TFC this weekend, according to So’s mom Leny.

Select photos of So during the two-week long competition will also be shown.

Source: http://www.journal.com.ph