Ang tunay na dahilan ni GM So

MANILA, Philippines - Ang takot na hindi makakuha ng financial support mula sa bansa ang pinakamalaking dahilan ni chess grandmaster Wesley So sa pagsusuko ng kanyang Filipino citizenship at piliin ang Uni-ted States.

“I have to live with the fear that if I am unable to play (for the Phl), I may get deprived of financial support,” wika ni So sa panayam ng chessdom.com na lumabas sa blog site ng kanyang coach na si Susan Polgar.

“When I did not compete in the Asian Indoor Games in 2013, and instead played in the World University Games (ma­laking tournament), in spite of winning the first ever Gold medal for the Philippines, I was denied the official recognition from the NCFP.

“No player should be treated this way, especially when I worked so hard to bring pride to my country,” dagdag pa nito.

Sinabi pa ng 20-anyos na si So, No. 15 sa international chess federation na FIDE world rankings matapos maghari sa Capablanca Memorial, na ito rin ang naging problema ng ilang miyembro ng national chess squad.

“This is the same problem for players like Sadorra, Barbosa, or Paragua, etc.,” wika ni So kina Julio Catalino Sadorra, Oliver Barbosa at Mark Paragua, ngayon ay nasa United States para hasain ang kanilang talento.

“They need help with training, play in stronger events, and know that they will have consistent support from the NCFP. This is to the benefit of the federation. There is also a need for a high level training system in the Philippines to help young talented players excel. There is no reason why this cannot be done, especially given the fact that chess is quite popular there,” wika ni So.

Pinabulaanan naman ni So na nakipagkasundo na siya sa chess federation ng bansang US.

“I did not make any agreement. On the contrary to the rumors out there, I receive no support from the U.S. for switching,” sabi ni So, hangad na makapasok sa Top 10 sa world at posibleng hamunin si world champion Magnus Carlsen ng Norway.

Ibinunyag pa ni So na inalok niya si NCFP pre­sident Butch Pichay noong Nobyembre na maglalaro siya sa Phl team sa World Chess Olympiad sa Agosto sa Tromso, Norway.

Ngunit hindi siya sinagot ni Pichay kaya nawalan si So na katawanin ang bansa sa Olympiad.