So paces Netherlands chess

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So trounced Dutch GM Loek Van Wely in the fourth round and built a 1.5-point lead with two rounds left in the 17th Unive Tournament in Hoogeveen, Netherlands yesterday.

The Filipino ace showed his deep understanding of the Slav defense and beat Van Wely in 33 moves, pulling away from the four-player field with an average rating of 2689 with 3.5 points.

The 20-year-old So’s strong opening preparation paid dividends as he easily equalized while pouncing on Van Wely’s passive plays with a kingside attack that the Dutch GM failed to stop.

So faces another Dutch GM, Robin Van Kampen, who split the point with English GM Michael Adams, before facing off with the veteran Adams in the final round of the double round tournament.

The group, called crown, is the most elite of the multi-category event in the Netherlands, which includes the Open, Amateur 1 and Amateur 2.

So is currently ranked 40th in the world.