chess Chess Grand Masters - The Top Chess Players in the World

[Wesley]

Chess Grand Master Wesley So

Wesley Barbasa So (born October 9, 1993) is a Filipino-American chess grandmaster and current World Fischer Random Chess Champion. He is a three-time Filipino Chess Champion and a two-time U.S. Chess Champion, in 2017 and 2020. On the March 2017 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2822, making him the fifth-highest rated player in history.

A former chess prodigy, So became the youngest player to pass a 2600 Elo rating in October 2008, breaking the record previously held by Magnus Carlsen. This record has since been broken by John M. Burke. In early 2013, So passed 2700 and in January 2017 he became the 11th player to pass 2800 Elo.

So represented the Philippines until transferring to the United States in 2014. He won the 2015 Bilbao Chess Masters, the 2016 Grand Chess Tour title after claiming victory in the Sinquefield Cup and London Chess Classic, and the 2017 Tata Steel Masters. He represented the US on board 3 at the 42nd Chess Olympiad, winning team and individual gold.

On 2 November 2019, So became the first official Fischer Random world champion after defeating Carlsen 13½–2½ to win the FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship.

[Wesley]

It's just so sad and infuriating that we lost Wesley So to USA. A once in a generation chess player... Manny Pacquiao level of greatness. All the Philippine government had to do was give him 1M as prize money but no. The PSC was so unorganized to say the least. 

[gentlebuds]

We have lots of very talented chess players. Kulang lang talaga sa support. Nakakalungkot.