So braces for duel vs Kamsky

MANILA, Philippines - While others took a breather after winning the first two rounds, GM Wesley So kept his focus on the next task – beating GM Gata Kamsky in the Last 32 of the World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Friday.

So, who shocked super GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in the second round, prepared long and hard as he braces for a showdown with Kamsky at resumption of the event at the Khanty-Mansiysk Centre of Arts.

So, 16, hopes to play with as much confidence as he did against Ivanchuk when he squares off with the 27th-ranked Kamsky in one of the most anticipated matches in the day.

If the match is tied after two classical games, the two players will battle it out in the rapid and blitz tiebreak matches on Sunday.

Before booting out Ivanchuk, So topped GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan, 4-1, in the tiebreaker in the first round.

Kamsky, on the other hand, beat GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., 1.5-0.5, in the first round and GM Zhou Weiqi of China, 1.5-0.5.

Another win by So will send the fourth-year high school student of St. Francis of Assisi College to the Last 16 against the winner of the match between No. 11 seed GM Pavel Eljanov of Ukraine and No. 22 GM Vladimir Malakhov of Russia.

Eljanov slammed the door on GM Ernesto Inarkiev of Russia, 3.5-2.5, while Malakhov eliminated GM Ilia Smirin of Israel, 3.5-1.5.

Other possible opponents for So include former world championship campaigners GMs Peter Svidler of Russia, Alexei Shirov of Spain, Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia and Arkadj Naiditsch of Germany, 

“Go for it and make the country proud again,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman Butch Pichay in a long-distance call to So.

NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino also congratulated So and asked Antonio and Laylo to help So in his preparation against Kamsky.

Even the foreign media hailed So’s exploits in the event, calling his upset win over Ivanchuk a stunning new development in the sport.

“Was the victory of this young fellow from the Philippines an accident or we will witness the birth of a new Carlsen? We will have an answer in three days,” said the official website of the World Chess Cup in its Nov. 27 entry.

Carlsen is the world’s third youngest player to earn a GM title. The 18-year-old pride of Norway completed his GM title at age 13 years, four months and 27 days.

So earned his GM title at age 14 years, one month and 28 days.

In rapid tiebreak matches played late Thursday, Svidler subdued upset-conscious GM Toni Nyback of Finland, 3.5-1.5, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine outlasted GM Varuzhan Akobian of the United States, 4-2, to advance.

Also making it to the next round were Karjakin, who survived Artlom Timofeev of Russia, 3.5-2.5; Shirov, who bested GM Sergey Fedorchuk of Ukraine, 4-1; and GM Fabiano Caruana of Italy, who downed GM Leinier Dominguez of Cuba, 3.5-.2-5;

Top seed GM Boris Gelfand of Israel eliminated GM Farrukh Amonatov of Tajikistan, 1.5-.5, and second seed GM Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan ousted GM Zhou Jianchao of China, 1.5-.5, to lead the march of the favorites.