PSA to confer major award on young grandmaster

Even after earning a grandmaster norm, chess whiz Wesley So hasn’t slowed down.

The world’s youngest grandmaster continued his romp in 2008 by winning one tournament after the other, including the tough Dubai Open Chess Championship.

He also ran away with the gold medal on Board 1 of the World Under-16 Chess Olympiad in Mersin, Turkey, where he led the four-man Philippine team to a decent third place finish.

For his many achievements in 2008, So will be honored as the major awardee in chess during the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night at the Alegria Lounge of the Manila Pavilion Hotel on Feb.20.

The high school student from St. Francis of Assisi-Bacoor is among those in the short list of athletes to be bestowed major awards by the country’s oldest media organization composed of editors and sportswriters of the various national broadsheets and tabloids.

Other recipients of the major award in the annual rites sponsored by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) are wushu’s Willy Wang, PBA cager Kelly Williams and golfers Jennifer Rosales, Dorothy Delasin, Angelo Que and Dottie Ardina.

On top of the honor list to be feted by the PSA for the year 2008 is boxing hero Manny Pacquiao, recipient of the Athlete of the Year trophy.

The 30-year old Pacquiao emerged unbeaten in all of his three fights last year, the most remarkable of which being his eight-round domination of the great Oscar dela Hoya.

The boxing icon will also be elevated to the PSA Hall of Fame in one of the highlights of the simple, two-hour rites also backed by the Villar Foundation, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, PSC, POC, Shakey’s, Accel, PBA, PBL, NCRAA, ICTSI, Smart, Purefoods, Ginebra, Sta. Lucia, Alaska, Rain or Shine, Ever Billena, Harbour Centre, SBP, Secretary Lito Atienza, Pharex, Liga Pilipinas, Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and Mighty Sports Association.

So established a winning streak in a month’s time by first ruling the Dubai Open when he ended up tied for first place with GMs Li Chao (China), Eshan Ghaem Maghami (Iran) and Merab Gagunashvili of Azerbaijan, but bagged the title and the $6,000 prize money by virtue of a higher tiebreak score.

A week after, the youthful chess player bested Indonesian GM Susanto Megaranto (4-2) in their one-on-one showdown in Jakarta.

In a fitting follow-up So emerged winner in the Battle of GMs chess championship after topping the 12-player tournament with 8.5 points on six wins and five draws.

Among his victims were Joey Antonio, Bong Villamayor, Richard Bitoon, Julio Catalina Sadorra and Fernie Donguines while drawing with Eugene Torre, Rolando Nolte, Hamed Nouri and Oliver Barbosa. He bagged the top prize of P200,000.

Three months later, So steered the RP squad to a third place finish in the World Under-16 Chess Olympiad.

He also won a second straight gold in the junior chess Olympiad by emerging top player on Board 1.

By year’s end, So saw action for Team Philippines in the 38th World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany where the Filipinos finished 46th overall.