Filipino American Grandmaster Wesley So has risen to World No. 6 on the International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking after a great performance in the kick-off to his title defense at the 2022 Grand Chess Tour (GCT) and winning the Blitz tournament of the ongoing Norway Chess.
Wesley So improved to No. 6 on the FIDE Top 100 Players ranking released in June, climbing two notches from his 8th place rank in the May edition of the list.
Prior to the new FIDE chess players world ranking, So kicked off his campaign to defend his historic championship title at the Grand Chess Tour and won the Norway Chess Blitz event to start his campaign for his first Norway Chess tournament title.
Grand Chess Tour
At the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, the first of five GCT events played from May 3-15, Wesley So delivered a winning streak to finish in 2nd place.
At the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland held from May 17-24, So finished in 5th place.
Wesley So will continue to see action at the following GCT events:
- SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: July 18 – 25, 2022, Zagreb, Croatia
- Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 24 – 31, 2022, St. Louis, Missouri USA
- Sinquefield Cup: August 31 – 13, 2022, St. Louis, Missouri USA
Norway Chess
Wesley So won first place in the Norway Chess Blitz competition on May 30 which kicked off the Classical Chess main event of the over-the-board tournament among the world’s top 10 grandmasters being played in Finansparken, Stavanger, Norway.
So is the only player on a winning streak with no losses after defeating tour tourney leader Vishy Anand in the 4th round of the 9-round competition which will end on June 10.
The three-time and reigning United States Chess Champion who started his chess career in the Philippines has been in the Top 10 of the world chess ranking since December 2020. He has stayed within the Top 100 Players ever since he debuted at 16 years old in the FIDE ranking, placing 89th in December 2009.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS to Wesley So as he continues his rise in the FIDE chess players world ranking!
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