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Wesley So facts for kids

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Barbossa and the surname or paternal family name is So.
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Wesley So
Wesley So in 2023.jpg
So in 2023
Full name Wesley Barbossa So
Country
  • Philippines (until 2014)
  • United States (since 2014)
Born (1993-10-09) October 9, 1993 (age 31)
Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines
Title Grandmaster (2008)
FIDE rating 2770 (June 2025)
Peak rating 2822 (February 2017)
Ranking No. 6 (April 2022)
Peak ranking No. 2 (March 2017)

Wesley Barbossa So (born October 9, 1993) is a famous chess player. He is a Grandmaster from both the Philippines and the United States. Wesley So has won the U.S. Chess Championship three times. He also became the first-ever World Fischer Random Chess Champion.

In March 2017, he was ranked second in the world. His Elo rating was 2822. This made him one of the highest-rated chess players in history. Wesley So loves a chess game called chess960, also known as Fischer random chess. He proved how good he was at it by beating Magnus Carlsen to win the first World Fischer Random Chess Championship in 2019.

Wesley So was a chess prodigy when he was younger. In October 2008, he became the youngest player to reach an Elo rating of 2600. He broke a record previously held by Magnus Carlsen. Later, in January 2017, he became one of only a few players to reach an Elo rating of 2800.

He played for the Philippines until 2014, when he started representing the United States. He has won many big tournaments. These include the 2015 Bilbao Chess Masters and the 2016 Grand Chess Tour. He also won the 2017 Tata Steel Masters and the 2021 Grand Chess Tour. At the 42nd Chess Olympiad, he helped the U.S. team win a gold medal. He also won an individual gold medal for his performance.

Early Life and Chess Beginnings

Wesley So was born in the Philippines in 1993. His parents are William and Eleanor So. He has two sisters, Wendelle and Wilma. Wesley went to school in Bacoor, Philippines.

Starting Chess Young

Wesley started playing in junior chess tournaments when he was just ten years old. In 2003, he won first place in the U-10 section of the Philippine National Chess Championships. He also did well in the World Youth Chess Championships. He finished fourth in the U-12 section in 2005.

Wesley also won gold medals in the ASEAN Open tournaments. He won individual golds in standard and rapid chess in the U-10s in 2004. In 2005, he won individual golds in standard, rapid, and blitz chess in the U-12s.

Rising to the Top in Chess

Wesley So made his first big tournament appearance in August 2005. He quickly earned the title of International Master. He became the youngest Filipino to achieve this. He also played in his first Chess Olympiad in 2006.

Becoming a Grandmaster

Wesley's chess skills kept growing. In January 2007, he qualified for the Chess World Cup 2007. By December 2007, he earned his third and final Grandmaster norm. This made him the youngest Filipino Grandmaster ever at 14 years old. He was also the seventh youngest in the world to reach this title.

In April 2008, Wesley shared first place at the Dubai Open. He also won the "Battle of Grandmasters tournament" in Manila.

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So at the Dresden Olympiad in 2008

In January 2009, Wesley won the Corus Group C tournament. This earned him a spot in a higher group the next year. At 16, he made it to the fourth round of the 2009 Chess World Cup. He beat strong players like Vassily Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky.

In 2010, he won his second Philippine Chess Championship. As he got stronger, he was invited to more high-level events.

WSo11
Wesley So at Tata Steel Chess in 2011

Moving to the United States

In 2012, Wesley received a scholarship from Webster University. He studied there for two and a half years before becoming a full-time professional chess player. In August 2012, he moved to the United States.

In 2013, Wesley reached an Elo rating of 2700. This is considered the level of an elite player. He also won a gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia. This was the first such medal for the Philippines.

In 2014, Wesley tied for fourth place at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament Group A. He also won the 49th Capablanca Memorial tournament in Havana. These wins helped him climb to 12th in the FIDE World Rankings.

Representing the United States

Wesley So decided to represent the United States in chess. He made this change official in November 2014. He moved to Minnetonka, Minnesota, to live with his adoptive family, Lotis Key and Renato Kabigting.

He won the Millionaire Chess Tournament in October 2014. In November 2015, he won the Bilbao Chess Masters Final. He beat Grandmaster Ding Liren and drew with Anish Giri.

In 2016, Wesley won the Sinquefield Cup and the London Chess Classic. These wins helped him secure the 2016 Grand Chess Tour title. He also won individual and team gold medals at the 42nd Chess Olympiad while playing for the United States.

In January 2017, Wesley won the Tata Steel Masters. He finished ahead of World Champion Magnus Carlsen. This made him the World No. 3 player.

He won the 2017 U.S. Chess Championship by beating Alexander Onischuk. He had an amazing streak of 67 games without a loss, which ended in April 2017.

Caruana - Wesley So, Candidates Tournament 2018
Wesley So at the 2018 Candidates Tournament.

Becoming World Fischer Random Chess Champion

On November 2, 2019, Wesley So made history. He became the very first World Fischer Random Chess Champion. He beat the classical world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, with a score of 13.5 to 2.5. Wesley won 4 games and drew 2, with no losses. He also won his semifinal match against Ian Nepomniachtchi. This was a huge victory that showed his skill in this unique chess format.

Recent Achievements

In September 2020, Wesley tied for first place in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament. He also helped the Saint Louis Arch Bishops team win the 2020 Professional Rapid Online Chess League. He was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the season.

In October 2020, Wesley So became the US Champion again. He had an unbeaten performance, winning 9 out of 11 games. Some chess experts compared his dominant play to the legendary Bobby Fischer.

In November 2020, Wesley defeated Magnus Carlsen to win the Skilling Open championship. This was the first part of the Champions Chess Tour. He won the final match in a tiebreak.

In February 2021, Wesley So beat Magnus Carlsen again to win the Opera Euro Rapid tournament. This was his second big win in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.

In August 2021, Wesley So won the 2021 Grand Chess Tour. He achieved this by being a runner-up in some events and winning the Paris Rapid & Blitz tournament.

In October 2021, he won the US Championship for the third time. He won in rapid tiebreaks against Fabiano Caruana and Samuel Sevian.

In 2022, Wesley continued to play well. He won the third leg of the FIDE Grand Prix. He also won the first-ever Chess.com Global Championship, taking home $200,000.

Team Results

Wesley So has played in five Chess Olympiads. He first played at 12 years old for the Philippines in 2006. Since 2016, he has represented the United States.

Event Board Individual Result Team Result
Olympiad, Turin 2006 Second Reserve 3/5 44th
World Youth U16 Olympiad, Singapore 2007 First 9½/10 (Gold) Bronze
World Youth U16 Olympiad, Mersin 2008 First 9/10 (Gold) Bronze
Olympiad, Dresden 2008 Second 7/10 (11th) 46th
Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 First 6½/10 (27th) 50th
Asian Games, Guangzhou 2010 First 5/8 Silver
Olympiad, Istanbul 2012 First 6½/11 (16th) 21st
Olympiad, Baku 2016 Third 8½/10 (Gold) Gold

Wesley So's Playing Style

When Wesley So was a young player, he was known for his aggressive and tactical style. This means he liked to attack and find clever moves. A former Philippine chess champion, International Master Rodolfo Tan Cardoso, noticed this. He said Wesley would sometimes sacrifice pieces to get a winning attack.

Wesley once said his style was similar to Vishy Anand, another top player. However, his style has changed over the years. Now, he plays more precisely and tries to avoid risks. He focuses on finding and using his opponents' mistakes.

Wesley has said that his favorite game was when he beat Ni Hua in the 2008 Chess Olympiad. This was his first win against a player with a rating of 2700.

So vs. Prusikin, 2006
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This position is from a game Wesley So played in 2006. He made a clever move here.

Personal Life

Wesley So lives in Excelsior, Minnesota, with his adoptive family. He considers Lotis Key, her husband Bambi Kabigting, and their daughter his family. Wesley became a citizen of the United States in February 2021.

He is an Evangelical Christian. He has shared that he reads the Bible every night and goes to church every weekend.

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Wesley So para niños

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