Wesley So, World University Champion

http://kazan2013.ru/en

Webster Freshman Wesley So Reaches Historic Chess Marks in Iceland

Webster Freshman Wesley So Reaches Historic Chess Marks in Iceland 
Feb 27, 2013

In the final chess match at the Reykjavik Open, Webster University freshman grandmaster Wesley So drew with the black pieces against the world’s former #6 player, Ukrainian grandmaster Pavel Eljanov, to tie for first place. In addition to the prestigious title, So accomplished two major historic feats:

He is now officially the first player from the Philippines to break the 2700 rating mark. Only 53 current players in the entire chess world of over 700 million players have ratings over this mark.

He is also the first player in the 67-year history of American College Chess to break 2700. In fact, other than some of his teammates at Webster University (Georg Meier, Ray Robson, Fidel Corrales Jimenez, and Manuel Leon Hoyos), no current U.S collegiate player has international rating over 2600. This is the reason why Webster University is the #1 ranked division I college team in the nation.

In addition, Wesley So is now the #2 ranked junior in the world, passing Yu Yangyi of China. He had already earned a spot in the 2013 World Cup taking place in August in Tromso, Norway,

The news of So breaking 2700 is making major mainstream news in the Philippines, where he is the pride of a chess-loving nation.

Source: http://blogs.webster.edu

SPICE Cup 2012 Pairings

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/116302832360230031699/2012SPICECup 

Order by drawing of lots

1. Georg Meier (Germany) 2646

2. Ding Liren (China) 2702

3. Csaba Balogh (Hungary) 2664

4. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2705

5. Wesley So (Philippines) 2677

6. Le Quang Liem (Vietnam) 2703 

Round 1

Meier - Le

Ding - So

Balogh - Vachier-Lagrave 

Round 2

Le - Vachier-Lagrave

So - Balogh

Meier - Ding 

Round 3

Ding - Le

Balogh - Meier

Vachier-Lagrave - So 

Round 4

Balogh - Le

Vachier-Lagrave - Ding

So - Meier 

Round 5

Le - So

Meier - Vachier-Lagrave

Ding - Balogh 

Round 6

Le - Meier

So - Ding

Vachier-Lagrave - Balogh 

Round 7

Vachier-Lagrave - Le

Balogh - So

Ding - Meier 

Round 8

Le - Ding

Meier - Balogh

So - Vachier-Lagrave 

Round 9

Le - Balogh

Ding - Vachier-Lagrave

Meier - So 

Round 10

So - Le

Vachier-Lagrave - Meier

Balogh - Ding

SPICE Cup 2012

SPICE Cup: Oct. 12-21

This month Webster University and the Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) will bring six of the best chess players in the world — including two Webster students — to Webster’s home campus. They’ll be competing in the 2012 SPICE Cup Invitational, the highest-rated chess tournament of its kind in U.S. history.

The tourney kicks off with a free and open-to-the-public Welcome Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, in Room 102 of Webster’s East Academic Building, 545 Garden Ave. in Webster Groves, Mo.

For full details and to learn about the competitors, see the full text of the University press release below: 

Webster University and Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) to Host the Prestigious 2012 SPICE CUP Invitational Oct. 12-21 

Event is the Highest-Rated International Round Robin Chess Tournament in U.S. History

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 8, 2012 – Six of the best chess players in the world – two of them members of the new Webster University chess team – will compete in the 2012 SPICE CUP Invitational tournament, to be held Oct. 12-21 on the Webster University campus. This historic tournament is a FIDE (International Chess Federation) category 18 event, making it the highest-rated chess tournament of its kind in U.S. history.

All six players are multiple-time Olympians. They include:

• Grandmaster LeQuang Liem (Vietnam), the defending SPICE CUP Invitational champion, Vietnamese champion and No. 1 player in Vietnam.
• Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), former World Junior champion and French champion and No. 1 player in France.
• Grandmaster Ding Liren (China), three-time and reigning champion of China, and the No.3 Junior in the world.
• Grandmaster Csaba Balogh (Hungary), member of the Hungarian National chess team and top-notch chess author.
• Grandmaster Wesley So (Philippines), national champion, No. 1 player in the Philippines and a Webster University freshman.
• Grandmaster Georg Meier (Germany), European team champion and Webster University sophomore and co-captain of the Webster University chess team.

The SPICE CUP Invitational tournament kicks off with a free and open-to-the-public Welcome Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, in Room 102 of Webster’s East Academic Building, 545 Garden Ave. in Webster Groves. During tournament play, the six competitors will face one another twice, once with black chess pieces and once with white pieces.

* * * 

About Susan Polgar and SPICE

Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar, World and Olympiad Champion, and her Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE) relocated to Webster University from Texas Tech University on June 1 2012. In addition, all key members of the reigning national collegiate champion Texas Tech “A” chess team transferred to Webster and are now enrolled at the University. Webster’s No. 1-ranked chess team includes eight Grandmasters and two International Masters.

Polgar, who is one of the strongest female chess players in history, is the winner of four world championships and the only world champion in history – male or female – to win the Triple-Crown (Rapid, Blitz and Classical Chess world championships). She is the first woman to break the gender barrier to qualify for the Men’s World Championship Cycle, earn the Men’s Grandmaster title, and to receive the Grandmaster of the Year Award.

At Webster, SPICE and Polgar are leaders in promoting chess as a vehicle for global diversity and academic excellence, for enriching the education of children and for promoting women’s chess. In 2011, Polgar became the first female head coach to lead a men’s collegiate Division 1 chess team (Texas Tech University) to the national title, a feat she repeated in 2012.

About Webster University

With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia, Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and individual excellence.

The magnificent 8 from Webster University

Webster University - SPICE Grandmasters for 2012

September 2012 rating list

GM Wesley So 2667 fide - 2699 uscf (#1 in the Philippines, #4 junior in the world)

GM Georg Meier 2656 - 2698 (#3 in Germany) C0-Captain

GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez 2612 fide - 2679 uscf (#3 in Cuba)

GM Ray Robson 2598 fide - 2671 uscf (#9 in the USA, #17 junior in the world)

GM Manuel Leon Hoyos 2582 fide - 2673 uscf (#1 in Mexico)

GM Anatoly Bykhovsky 2522 fide - 2646 uscf (#19 in Israel) Co-Captain

GM Denes Boros 2491 fide - 2531 uscf (#31 in Hungary)

GM Andre Diamant 2471 fide - 2529 uscf (#13 in Brazil)

http://www.websterchess.com

World top 20 juniors

Top 20 juniors in the world (September 2012 rating)

Rk	Name	Title	Country	Rating	Games	B-Year
1	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2773	0	1992
2	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2730	10	1994
3	Ding, Liren	g	CHN	2694	13	1992
4	So, Wesley (Webster University freshman)	g	PHI	2667	9	1993
5	Negi, Parimarjan	g	IND	2658	9	1993
6	Yu, Yangyi	g	CHN	2640	13	1994
7	Sjugirov, Sanan	g	RUS	2624	9	1993
8	Zherebukh, Yaroslav	g	UKR	2622	13	1993
9	Rapport, Richard	g	HUN	2621	13	1996
10	Safarli, Eltaj	g	AZE	2620	0	1992
11	Nyzhnyk, Illya	g	UKR	2614	8	1996
12	Dubov, Daniil	g	RUS	2603	9	1996
13	Ipatov, Alexander	g	TUR	2601	13	1993
14	Shimanov, Aleksandr	g	RUS	2599	13	1992
15	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2599	0	1994
16	Kovalyov, Anton	g	ARG	2598	18	1992
17	Robson, Ray (Webster University freshman)	g	USA	2598	0	1994
18	Swiercz, Dariusz	g	POL	2594	0	1994
19	Durarbayli, Vasif	g	AZE	2584	0	1992
20	Ter-Sahakyan, Samvel	g	ARM	2580	13	1993

Webster University teammates and roomates to face off

Chess: 18-year-old So to face 17-year-old US Grandmaster in time trial
July 3, 2012 2:08pm

Two young Grandmasters, one of whom being Filipino Wesley So, will face-off in a non-stop, three-hour chess showdown starting at 6:00 a.m., on July 30, in a match that could consist of as many as 50 games, to be streamed online at Chess.com.

The 18-year-old So will face-off against 17-year-old Ray Robson of Florida, in an online match that will test their classical chess skills, their ability to think quickly, and their endurance.

The match’s unique format gives the two prodigies three hours to complete as many games as possible, with time-controls for each game getting progressively shorter, from five minutes per side at the bout’s onset, down to just one minute during the final phase, all for a grand prize of $1000.

Born and raised in Bacoor, So achieved the title of Grandmaster at age 14 and is the highest-rated Filipino player of all time. In 2008 he became the youngest person to ever achieve a chess rating of 2600 or better, breaking a record formerly held by the world's #1-rated player, Magnus Carlsen. The following year, he won first place in his group at the
prestigious Corus Chess Tournament in the Netherlands.

His opponent, Robson, became the youngest American Grandmaster in history in 2009, also at the age of 14. He has won many national scholastic titles and competed in multiple US Championships, and other events around the world. He won the US Junior Chess Championship in 2009, becoming one of the youngest players ever to do so.

The event will be commentated by International Masters David Pruess and Daniel Rensch, and will feature interviews with So and Robson before and after the competition.

This match is part of an ongoing series hosted by Chess.com, and will be viewable by anyone at www.chess.com/tv - AMD, GMA News

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com

Both players will begin their study at Webster University under the SPICE institute next month and they will also be roomates.