Filipino GM Wesley So invited to join Texas Tech chess team

FILIPINO chess grandmaster Wesley Barbasa So has been invited to join the Texas Tech University chess team in Lubbock, Texas, USA.

The invitation was extended by Hungarian GM Sofia Polgar, who coached the Knight Raiders to the national chess championship despite playing with an underdog team of players coming from different countries.

But the 18-year-old topranked Filipino player must first pass a stringent entrance examination.

“Kinakailangan ko munang maipasa y’ung entrance examination (SAT) para makasama ako sa grupo. Pero kumpiyansa ako maipapasa ko po y’ung examination,” said So, who recently received P150,000 cash incentive from the Philippine Sports Commission for winning a gold and a silver medal in last month’s 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

Joining So is 24-year-old GM Georg Meier of Germany who was also recruited by Polgar. So and Meier happened the have the same FIDE rating of 2659 good for a share of 89th place in the world rankings.

According to Wesley’s manager Reginald Tee, his ward will take up a computer course at Texas Tech if he hurdles the entrance exams. Tee will accompany So to Texas for the examinations slated early next year.

Texas Tech is a NCAA Division I school.

So and Meier are expected to join GM Anatoly Bykhovsky of Israel, GM Davorin Kuljasevic of Croatia, GM Andre Diamant of Brazil, IM Istvan Sipos of Hungary and Faik Aleskerov of Azerbaijan, who were all part of the US NCAA champion squad, at Texas Tech.

Polgar said that the Texas Tech scholarship would include tuition and housing expenses. Students will also be given the opportunity to make additional spending money by spending a few hours a week teaching chess at many local schools. Titled players are also given the opportunity to compete in many strong tournaments throughout the year.

The school in fact pays for the expenses of players who compete in some events, Polgar disclosed. She said that her job is to dissect the players’ game, then help them maximize their areas of strength, as well as improving areas of weaknesses. A player is also allowed to represent his country in big competitions.  /correspondent Marlon Bernardino