Bersamina takes So’s slot

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine team is replacing Grandmaster Wesley So with newly minted International Master Paulo Bersamina as it gears up for the 41st World Chess Olympiad slated Aug. 1-15 in Tromso, Norway.

“He (So) will be replaced,” National Chess Federation of the Philippine executive director and Phl non-playing captain Jayson Gonzales yesterday told The STAR.

Gonzales was reacting to the 20-year-old So’s recent announcement that he has declined the invitation of the NCFP to play as the country’s top board player in favor of coaching the United States team.

Bersamina, 16, will take the spot vacated by So, who is currently ranked 16th in the world rankings with a 2747 rating. Bersamina finished third behind GMs Eugene Torre and John Paul Gomez in last week’s Battle of GMs.

“Bersamina is next in line because he finished third in the Battle of GMs, which served as a qualifier for the Olympiad,” said Gonzales.

Aside from Torre, Gomez and Bersamina, the other members of the squad are US-based Oliver Barbosa and Julio Catalino Sadorra, one of whom could take over the top board spot vacated by So.

So said he had already filed documents on his decision to switch federations and had repeatedly sought clearance from the NCFP.

The NCFP, however, said it has not received official letter from FIDE, or the international chess federation, on So’s transfer.

Susan Polgar, So’s coach at Webster U, said one of the reasons So declined the NCFP invitation is that the June 1 deadline had lapsed but NCFP sources belied it by saying that it had already submitted So’s name even before the deadline.

“She is fooling us all. Truth is, Wesley So has no application for transfer in the FIDE website. NCFP has also no letter from Wesley. The letter that Polgar released has no date,” said the source.

Bersamina made headlines after topping the U-20 standard chess event of the recent Asean+ Age Group Chess Championships to earn his IM title.