Chessers stricken off FIDE list because of NCFP arrears

MANILA, Philippines - The National Chess Federation of the Philippines failed to pay its arrears reportedly amounting to $8,000, striking its top 10 players off the updated list for December.

The recent development was another flak to a federation that is already suffering from the departure of its former No. 1 player Wesley So to the US late last year.

NCFP executive director Jayson Gonzales, however, said it was just a minor delay and the NCFP will pay anytime this week.

“Hope by next week the NCFP would be able to make such payment,” Gonzales, also a GM, told The STAR.

Interestingly, the Philippines is just one of the more than 30 countries who failed to make a payment in time.

While Filipino chessers wait for their new ratings, the 20-year-old So, who now represents the US Chess Federation, has moved by leaps and bounds as he zoomed from No. 28 in 2014 to No. 10 by year end with a 2777.1 Elo rating.

So’s meteoric rise comes from his four victories this year – the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba last May, the ACP Golden Classic in Bergamo, Italy in July, the Millionaire Chess Cup in Las Vegas in October and the North American Chess Open also in Las Vegas recently--and a second place effort in the Edmonton Cup in Alberta, Canada in June.

The Cavite-born So, now based in Minnesota after dropping out of Webster U and bolting out of former coach Susan Polgar to devote full time to the sport, will play world No. 9 Hiraku Nakamura next in a showdown between the US’ top two chessers.

So is also scheduled to see action in the ultra-strong Tata Steel Masters on Jan. 9 in The Netherlands where he will be pitted against the world’s best including men’s and women’s champions Magnus Carlsen and Hou Yifang.

So is eyeing to breach the 2800 rating barrier this year and challenge Carlsen for the world title.

No thanks to allegedly bad advice he got and the political interference in of Phl sports, So changed allegiance, which outrightly deprived him of the chance to become the best performing Filipino athlete in 2014.

So would have been the first chesser to win such coveted plum, which went to Incheon Asian Games BMX gold medalist Daniel Caluag.