Whiz kid So ousts Ivanchuk

At the World Chess Cup in Russia

FILIPINO GM Wesley So (2640) kayoed Super GM Vassily Ivanchuk (2739), 1.5-0.5 by holding him to a draw in their second match in the ongoing World Chess Cup at the Khanty-Mansiysk Festival of Arts in Russia on Wednesday.

The draw (46 moves of a Queens Pawn Game using the white pieces) was enough for the 15-year-old chess whiz to advance to the third round of the prestigious event as he earlier defeated his older and higher-rated rival in the first game of their match after 39 pushes of a French duel using the black pieces.
GM So whose stint here is being supported by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Harry Angping will be facing Super GM Gata Kamsky (2695) of the United States in round 3. Kamsky, the defending world chess cup champion, who eliminated GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio, Jr. (2574) in the first round, subdued China’s GM Zhou Weiqi (2603) in the second round.

Prior to beating Ivanchuk, So had beaten China’s GM Ni Hua in the 2008 Chess Olympiad when the Chinese was rated 2710 (Hua is currently rated at 2665, 60th on World Chess Federation’s rating list. So has also played and drew in the past against elite GMs Sergey Karjakin (2723, 18th on the rating list) and Alexei Shirov (2719, 20th on the rating list).

"Anuman ang mangyari kay Wesley (So) sa third round kontra kay Kamsky (Gata) ay malaking karangalan na ang hatid niya sa bayan. Hindi biro-biro na talunin ng isang 15-year-old si Ivanchuk (Vassily). Pero hopefully makalusot din sana si Wesley sa third round," said Pichay.
International arbiter and national master Erwin Carag also lauded So. "Wesley So beating Vassily Ivanchuk is just like Manny Pacquiao beating Oscar dela Hoya, a legend. Now, Wesley against Gata, will be like Pacquiao vs. Hatton or Pacquiao vs Cotto. My feeling is Wesley can topple Kamsky. Pag white si Kamsky, paghandaan ni Wesley ang London System. Tinalo dati ni late IM chess artist Ruben Rodrgiuez si Kamsky. Congrats kay Wesley," said Carag, head coach of La Salle Greenhills.

Former Olympian NM Glenn Bordonada added "As a friend commented, this is a historic day for Philippine chess. It recalls to mind, Torre’s win over Mikhail Tal in Leningrad."

GM Susan Polgar of the United States had something to say to Wesley. "The more games the talented Wesley plays against world-class opponents, the better and more confident he gets. After losing to Guisenov in the second game of his first-round match, he reeled off three straight wins in the rapid play-off to advance to the second round. Then he went on to pull off the biggest upset of the 2009 World Cup so far by beating Ivanchuk 1.5-0.5. Well done Wesley! With proper training, experience, and opportunity, I have no doubt that he will be an elite player for years to come," said Polgar, herself a former prodigy. -- Marlon Bernardino