GM So: Record Breaker at 15 y.o.

With the release of FIDE year-end ELO rating, Mr. Bobby Ang's prophetic statement "As GM Wesley So continue to break records after records in the history of chess..." we saw how the young prodigy from Bacoor, Cavite register the highest ELO rating any Filipino has achieved with 2627 at a young age of 15 years old.

Wesley has eclipsed Philippines' first super-GM Mark Paragua's 2621 in April of 2006, currently ranked 4th. El Eugenio, is on 2nd spot with a rating of 2560, his highest rating in a career that span from 1970's up till now. Philippines' 10th grandmaster, John Paul Gomez of De La Salle University lands on 3rd spot with a rating of 2539. On 5th spot is Gm Joey Antonio Jr with a rating of 2519. There goes our country's top five.

We now go thru the next 5, from 6-10:

Top 6 GM Darwin Laylo 2504
7 IM Rolando Nolte 2488
8 IM Roland Salvador 2476
9 IM Richard Bitoon 2473
10 GM Bong Villamayor 2471

And in the women's category, our top 10 players are:

1 WFM Sheerie Joy Lomibao 2185
2 WFM Catherine Perena 2184
3 WFM Sherily Cua 2143
4 Daisy Rivera 2094
5 WIM Beverly Mendoza 2045

6 Christy Lamiel Bernales 2043
7 WIM Cristine Rose Mariano 2037
8 Jan Jodilyn Fronda 1970
9 Rida Jane Young 1957
10 Jenny Rose Palomo 1882

In the country rankings, our country fall on the 33rd out of 148 nations for the men's while in the women's category we fall on the 50th out of 113.

It was another year of pawn pushing, time scrambles and politicking in the chess arena.

Have a new and productive year to all of us!