Wesley So becomes just the second Filipino ever to defeat a reigning world chess champion
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino chess grandmaster Wesley So kicked off the 2016 Grand Chess Tour in as grand a fashion imaginable, defeating reigning reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen on time Thursday, June 9 at La Maison de la Chimie in Paris, France.
So, of Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines, managed the win after the Norwegian Carlsen reportedly froze while in a winnable position and ceded the victory to the world’s no. 10 rated player. The win was the first ever for the 22-year-old So against Carlsen under fast time control. So, who currently holds an Elo rating of 2770, is currently in the second round of play at time of publication against Russian world no. two player Vladimir Kramnik.
So had represented his native country before switching to the United States Chess Federation in late 2014. This is not the first time a Filipino player has defeated a reigning world champion, after Eugene Torre defeated the world’s top player Anatoly Karpov in 1976.
Credits to: rappler.com
