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Friday, March 29, 2024

Torre: Let’s not pressure So

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FOR now, there’s no need to ask Filipino grandmaster Wesley So if he has a desire to join the Philippines as part of the national team in international meets.

GM Eugene Torre said this after he learned that the Cavite-born So has officially risen to no. 3 in the world rankings, according to the February ratings released by FIDE.

Torre, who became the national chess coach last June, said any efforts to ask So to join the national squad would be distracting on So’s current bid to improve on his game and rise up in the world rankings.

“Bigay na natin kay Wes. In the first place, he will have a higher goal. OK lang kung gusto niya. Pero ‘wag na nating bigyan ng pressure,” said Torre.

Eugene Torre

Torre said the Philippines won’t be preparing for any chess competitions in the coming 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, where the event was scrapped.

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Instead, preparations for the formation of a national squad is now geared for next year’s 2018 World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, and in the Asian Games in Indonesia.

So is coming off a title run in the 13-round 2017 Tata Steel Masters Chess Tournament in The Netherlands and the Professional Rapid Online (PRO) Chess League playing for Saint Louis Arch Bishops.

The 23-year-old So is now within reach of world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen and no. 2 Fabiano Caruana with his ELO rating of 2822. Carlsen has an ELO of 2838 at the end of the Tata Steel chessfest, while Caruana has a 2827.

“After his (So’s) achievements, there’s a reason for people to believe that he can be a world champion,” added Torre.

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