Grandmaster Wesley So of the Philippines settled for a draw with defending champion GM Anish Giri of the Netherlands on Thursday in the opening round of the 19th annual Sigeman Chess Championship at the Classic Hipp Theather in Malmo, Sweden.
In other matches, GM Alexei Shirov of Spain defeated GM Jonny Hector of the Netherlands using white while GM Hans Tikkanen prevailed over compatriot GM Nils Grandelius.
“It’s really a big honor for me to be invited to play in Sigeman, which is one of the most-awaited tournaments in Sweden,” So said a few days before leaving for the popular Swedish city known as the “Riviera of the North.”
“I hope to perform well in Sweden and bring more honor to the country,” said So, who had to beg off from the recent Asian Zone 3.3 chess championships in Tagaytay and the second Chairman Pichay Cup chess tournament in Subic to concentrate on the Swedish tournament.
The 17-year-old chess champion from Bacoor, Cavite is the first Filipino to be invited to play in a closed tournament in Sweden, according to International Arbiter Erwin Carag.
The six-player, round-robin event is organized by the Limhamn Chess Club and sponsored by the Swedish law firm Sigeman and Co.
In the second round, So will meet Shirov, Hector will battle Tikkanen while Giri will go up against Grandelius.
GM Ferdinand Hellers of the Netherlands holds the distinction as the only three-time winner of the tournament, bagging the title in the inaugural edition in 1993 and defending it in 1994. He also won in 1997.
Former world championship contender GM Nigel Short of England was a double winner of the event in 2002 and 2009.
Other past winners were GM Tiger Hillarp Person (2008), GM Ivan Cheparinov (2007), GM Jan Timman (2006), Krishnan Sasikiran (2005), GM Peter Heine Nielsen (2004), GM Vassily Ivanchuk (2003), GM Boris Gulko (2001), Judit Polgar (2000), GM Boris Gelfand (1999), GM Joel Lautier ( 1998), Viktor Kochnoi (1996), and GM Ivan Sokolov ( 1995).