Wesley improves to world No. 19

MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Wesley So continued his steady rise in the world ranking while compatriot Julio Catalino Sadorra became the third Filipino to reach super-GM status in the latest International Chess Federation (FIDE) rankings.

So, 20, has moved a rung higher to 19 with a 2738 rating, becoming the second highest Asian player in the world next to world No. 3 former world champion Vishwanathan Anand of India, who has 2785.

Now based in the US where he has a chess scholarship at Pan American champion Webster U, So has also closed in on his target of breaching the 2750-mark this year and hopefully make it to the Top 10 in the world.

But So isn’t out to rush things up.

“I still have so many things to learn and I’m taking it one step at a time,” So yesterday told The STAR.

Sadorra, 27, has also surpassed the 2600-plateau to join So and Mark Paragua as the three Filipinos with super-GM level with a current rating of 2605. Sadorra is also the country’s No. 2 player today.

Paragua reached the super-GM first with a 2618 rating in January 2006 before So surpassed him by gaining a rating of 2610 in October 2008.