So plays No.1 as RP takes on Spain

DRESDEN, Germany – GM Wesley So takes over the top board for Team RP as he slugs it out with super GM Alexei Shirov of Spain in the sixth round of the World Chess Olympiad here Wednesday.

During Tuesday’s break, So asked GM Eugene Torre if he could play on the top board in place of GM Bong Villamayor with the non-playing team captain readily giving the go signal to the 15-year-old whiz.

“I’m excited and it‘s an honor to play against him (Shirov),” said So when asked about his decision to play the top board against the fancied Shirov, who totes a 2726 rating.

Barring any last-minute change of strategy, the 12th seeded Spain is expected to play full force with its all-GM team against So and company.

They include GM Francisco Pons Vallejo on board two, GM Miguel Illescas on board three and either GM Ibragim Khamrakulov or GM Camilo Pablo San Segundo on the last board.

The Philippines and Spain are tied with seven points for 17th place with seven points, only two points behind top seed Russia, defending champion

Armenia, Ukraine, England, Azerbaijan and host Germany under the match point style scoring system being used for the first time in the long history of the Olympiad.

The Filipinos have beaten Algeria (2.5-1.5), Monaco (2.5-2.5) and Iran (2.5-1.5), drew with Greece (2-2) and lost to China (1.5-2.5).

The Spaniards, on the other hand, won over Germany-3 (3.5-.5), Bosnia (2.5-1.5) and Tajikistan (3-1), lost to Germany-1, 1.5-2.5 and drew with Belarus, 2-2.

Joining So are GM Jayson Gonzales, IM John Paul Gomez and GM Darwin Laylo.

Gomez, the three-time national junior champion, is the Filipinos’ leading scorer with four points on three wins and two draws. So has three points on two wins and two draws.

In women’s play, the Philippines hopes to do better in the second half of competition when it meets Sweden.

Turin Olympiad veteran Catherine Perena banners the RP ladies’ bid as she goes up against GM Pia Cramling.

The RP ladies team, which also includes Daisy Rivera, Cheradee Chardine Camacho and Christy Lamiel Bernales, is in joint 50th with five points on two wins over Yemen (3.5-.5) and New Zealand, a draw with Lithunia (2-2) and two losses to Greece, 1.5-2.5, and Belarus, .5-3.5.