So leads Phl bid in Asian qualifier

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So heads the six-man Philippine contingent vying in the Asian Individual chess championships which gets under way today at Hotel Pardisan in Mashhad, Iran.

So, the country’s highest-rated player in history with an Elo rating of 2667, will be one of six Filipino players seeing action in the competition being held to determine the region’s four representatives to the 2011 World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia later this year.

The 16-year-old Filipino champion is seeded fourth in the men’s tournament behind GMs Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan (Elo 2687), Krishnan Sasikiran of India (Elo 2682) and Bu Xiangzhi of China (Elo 2677).

The other Filipino players vying for the title and the US$6,000 are GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. (2589), Mark Paragua (2547), John Paul Gomez (2538), and Darwin Laylo (2516) and IM Oliver Barbosa (2506). 

Except for Paragua and Barbosa, the four other Filipino players are fresh from competing in the Asian Cities chess championship in Jakarta where they finished in a tie for fourth place.

“We’re confident about the chances of our players in the Asian Individual Championships. Wesley is playing well right now, while the rest are just as good and talented,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay.

“Although we finished only fourth in the recent Asian Cities in Jakarta, all our four players figured prominently in their individual boards,” added Pichay.

NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino also urged the Filipinos to continue to play well and bring honors to the country in this annual competition being held in Mashhad, the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world.

A total of 57 players are seeing action in the men’s division, while 32 players are entered in the women’s division.

The champion will bring home the lion’s share of US$6,000. The runner-up, the third placer, the fourth placer and the fifth placer will receive US$5,000, US$4,000, US$3,000 and US$2,500.

The women’s champion will earn US$3,000.

 Aside from the cash prizes, the top four men’s finishers will earn the right to compete in the 2011 World Cup while the female champion will qualify for the 2012 world women’s championship.