Wesley So in lead pack of World Junior Chess

International master Wesley So earned his second win in two rounds to get a share of the lead with 11 others in the 2007 World Junior Chess Championship at the Tigran Petrosian Chess House Thursday (Friday in the Philippines) in Yerevan, Armenia. According to National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), the No. 13 So outclassed No. 37 FM Krzysztof Bulski (ELO 2421) of Poland despite playing black. In the first round, the 13-year-old So defeated No. 55 seed Emilis Pileckis (ELO 2349) of Lithuania. So, a high school sophomore at the St. Francis College in Bacoor, Cavite, earned a GM norm in the Bad Wiesse Open in Germany last year. "Wesley is in good shape despite arriving here (Armenia) only last Tuesday following a stint in the Asian Individual Chess Championship in Cebu," William So, the chess prodigy's father-manager, said. Top seed grandmaster Wang Hao of China was also among the leaders, all of whom got a perfect score of two points. The other leaders: • No. 3 GM Maxim Rodshtein of Israel • No. 5 GM Gawain Jones of England • No. 12 GM Arman Pashikian of Armenia • No. 15 GM David Howell of England • No. 16 GM G.N. Gopal of India • No. 17 IM Evgeny Romanov of Russia • No. 18 GM Parimarjan Negi of India • No. 31 IM Sasha Kaplan of Israel • No. 24 IM G. Rohit of India • No. 63 Tigran Maikonian of Armenia So, who turns 14 on October 9, will play white against Mamikonian in the third round Friday (Saturday in the Philippines). Mamikonian, the lowest-rated of the 10 Armenian players in the field, toppled No. 20 IM Sebastien Feller of France in the biggest upset of the second round. Lone Filipina entry Aices Salvador completed a big day for the Philippines as she hurdled No. 31 seed Ghazal Hakimifard (ELO 2102) of Iran. Salvador, a 17-year-old business management student at De La Salle University, beat Hakimifard with the white pieces to make up for her first-round setback to No. 19 WFM Sarah Hoolt (ELO 2199) of Germany. Salvador, who earned the right to represent the country by topping the women's qualifying tournament held last May, will play Haritomeni Markantonaki of Greece in the third round. Standings after two rounds Boys 2 points W. So (RP), H. Wang (China), M. Rodhstein (Israel), G. Jones (England), A. Pashikian (Armenia), D., Howell (England), S. Kaplan (Israel), N. Gopal (India), E. Romanov (Russia), P. Negi (India), G. Rohit (India), T. Mamikonian (Armenia) 1.5 points D. Stellwagen (Netherlands), T. Vandenbussche (Belarus), A. Grigoryan (Armenia), S. Ter-Sahakyan (Armenia), G. Meier (Germany), I. Popov (Russia), D. Andreikin (Russia), M. Ragger (Austria), G. Margvelashvili (Georgia), G. Nigalidze (Georgia), G. Jojua (Armenia), V. Laznicka (Czechoslovakia), J. Ashwin (India)

- GMANews.TV