So Faces Ivanchuk in the Second Round of World Chess Cup

Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia-  Chess prodigy Wesley So unleashed his feisty form a he upended his first round foe with brilliant rapid chess game prowess to secure a berth in the second round of the 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk Festival of Arts .

The 16-year old  So won all of his three rapid tiebreak matches over Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan to seal an unassailable 4-1 victory to barge into the second round of the six-part biennial tournament.

So carried the cudgels of the three-man RP contingent after GM Darwin Laylo and Rogelio Antonio Jr. bowed to their respective higher rated rivals.

Laylo reeling on its second straight World Cup appearance lost to 21st seeded Czech GM David Navara 1-2, and joined in the sideline his compatriot Antonio as first round losers.

The highest rated player on his age group So, will be facing very formidable foe in Vassily Ivanchuk, the tournament’s sixth seed, clobbered Russian GM Alexei Bezgrodov of Russia in the first round.

Ivanchuk will be the highest rated player So will encounter. The Philippines top ranked woodpusher has a Elo rating of 2650 and is expected to give a good fight .

So already performed well in facing higher rated opponents (players with  elo rating of 2700 and above).

During the 2008 Dresden Chess Olympiad, so nipped Chinese Ni Hua and drew with Latvian Alexei hirov who is now the main skipper of the Spanish Men’s chess team. Additionally So forced a draw over GM Sergei Karjakin of Russia in Asian Chess Team Championships in Al Ain, UAE last year.

Top seed Israeli Boris Gelfand led the favorites march to the second round by blasting IM Andrei Obodchuck of Russia 1.5-0.5. Also advancing includes second seed GM Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan, who swept GM Walaa Samat of Egypt and the third-seeded Russian  GM Peter Svidler who crushed IM Jean Herbert of Canada.

Azerbaijan Triumphs in European Championships

Azerbaijan men’s chess team heavily counted on its youthful team to capture the 17th European Team Championships men’s title held in the first week of November, 2009  in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Consisting of Teimour Radjabov (22), Vugar Gasimov (23), Shakriyar Mamedyarov (24), and  Gadir Guseimov (23). The young Azeris extracted an impressive 15 match points out of possible 18, on seven wins, a draw and one loss in the nine-round Swiss System championship. This is one of the strongest chess team events this year. Perennial favorite Russian men’s chess team, notched second place with 14 points, while Ukraine nosed out World Chess Olympiad reigning gold medalist Armenia via tie break to clinch third after both teams were tied at 13 points a piece.
Gashimov and Mamedyarov were declared the topscorers for the champion team, where they carved out a 6.5/2.5 tall. In the distaff side, the formidable Russian women’s  chess team copped the championship after scoring a scintillating 16 match points. Eventhough, tied with Georgia, Russia took the tournament by virtue of a superior tiebreak.