Super GM Wesley So, a Filipino who is currently playing for the United States, clinched the win for the 2016 Grand Chess Tour during the 8th round of London Chess Classic tournament. The Grand Chess Tour is a series of 5 major tournaments with the London Chess Classic as the last leg.
At the start of the London Chess Classic, So was leading the tour in points and the only possibility that someone can catch up with him is if he finished below the 4th place. However, 8 rounds later he was leading the tournament and effectively clinched the Grand Chess Tour win regardless of the outcome of the London Chess Classic.
Earlier in the tournament, So also surpassed the 2800 rating mark, making him just the 12th person to do that in chess history. The London Chess Classic tournament is also very significant because it features 8 players from the world top 10. So is currently sitting at the 4th place in the live rankings with ELO rating of 2808.
Former world champions Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik have praised So’s achievement and considered him as a future challenger to the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen.
The Filipino chess community has congratulated So for his amazing achievement and they are hoping that someday he will represent the Philippines again.
Congrats Wesley So! Keep raise the bar for Filipino chess players…