GM So is world's No.60

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO teenage chess sensation Grandmaster Wesley Barbasa So continues to climb the world chess rankings.

The Bacoor, Cavite whiz kid, the seventh youngest in the world to obtain the GM title, gained 9 points in the 3rd Phoenix Battle of the Grandmaster in Tagaytay City and 9th Asian Continental Men's Championship in Subic to climb up from his previous 64th world placing last May to 60th this month with a total 2674 Elo rating points.

The 16-year old So is now No. 7 in the world in the U-20 (active players) category and No. 2 in Asia in the same category. Vietnamese GM Le Quang Liem tote 2681.
"I would like to break the 2700 Elo barrier and step into the 2800," said So in an interview.

"I’m sure he would have a chance to break into the world 2700 barrier," said National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/ chairman Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr.
Twelve-time national open champion GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr.,GM John Paul Gomez, GM Darwin Laylo, IM Roland Salvador, Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre, GM Joseph Sanchez,GM Mark Paragua, IM Julio Catalino Sadorra and IM Oliver Barbosa are the next top RP players with ratings of 2575, 2527, 2522, 2498, 2489, 2479, 2476, 2473 and 2458 respectively.

Former Asian Junior champion and Arizona, USA-based Rogelio "Banjo" Barcenilla not listed in the "active player chart" remains International Master (IM) despite he completed already his third and final GM norm.

The Philippines, meantime, No. 35 in the FIDE Country Top chess players list, with an average rating of 2517 points. The country listed 10 GMs, 25 IMs, and 61 titled players. Russia remains on top with 2734 average rating points as it listed 203 GMs, 467 IMs, and 1,953 titled players.

Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen remains world's no.1 player with 2826 points followed by Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov, Indian GM Viswanathan Anand, Russian GM Vladimir Kramnik and Armenian GM Levon Aronian with 2803, 2800,2790 and 2783, in order.
Hungarian Judith Polgar is still No.1 in the distaff side with 2682.