Wesley So returns to FIDE Top 100 list

MANILA, Philippines – The year 2009 is almost over but for the Philippines’ brightest chess hope, Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So, his phenomenal chess career is just beginning.

This comes after the World Chess Federation (FIDE) released on Saturday the expected rating change of the 16-year-old whiz kid from Bacoor, Cavite, who will be back in the world’s top 100 players next month. He was ousted from the world’s top 100 list in the November 2009 FIDE rating chart.

So, whose current ELO rating is 2640, is expected to have the rating of 2656 when the January 1, 2010 FIDE-RP rating list is released in a few days.

His sterling performance in this year’s World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia gave him 15.8 points after defeating World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2 and defending champion GM Gata Kamsky of the United States in Round 3. He lost to Russian GM Vladimir Malakhov in Round 4.

So’s best ELO rating was 2646 in July 2009. He then lost two ELO in September 2009 (2644) and four ELO in November 2009 (2640).

GM Mark Paragua had 2621 ELO rating points during his peak in April 2006 while Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre had 2580 ELO rating points during his prime in the mid 1980’s.

The teenage chess player, meantime, declared that he hopes to reach the “magical point of 2700,” and be called a Hydra GM.

He will kick off 2010 by playing in the Group B section of 72nd Corus chess tournament on January 15 to 31 at the Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.

So, the 2009 Corus Group C champion, is supported by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero “