GM So demolishes rivals in Candon City 'simul'

CANDON CITY, Philippines - Wesley So, currently the world's youngest chess grandmaster, has not lost his killer's instinct at the age of 14. So beat all 25 opponents in a "simul," drawing no one. A "simul" or simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is an event where one player (commonly a chess master or grandmaster) plays multiple chess games at a time with selected players. So's opponents represent the best players in the province, assistant organizer Leoncio Balbin Jr. "He was cool and smiling while fashioning his wins," said Balbin. The "simul" annihilation came after So beat 28 players in another "simul" in Manila. He only lost once in all "simul" games he played. So is expected to win the Mayor's Chess Cup in Candon where he won two years ago. So, who earned his grandmaster title last December at the age of 14, is the 7th youngest GM to achieve the feat. With a FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation) rating of 2526, So said he plans to become a superGM by the age of 15. A superGM has a FIDE rating above 2600. Now that he has finished his classes at the St. Francis de Assisi High School in Bacoor, Cavite, So said he would have more time to play here and abroad. So spends his time playing in the Internet or with advanced chess programs like Deep Fritz 11 and Chessbase 9, said his father, William So. - GMANews.TV