Norway Chess: All eyes on So, Barbosa, Paragua in World Cup
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 08 Aug 2013
So.
MANILA, Philippines --FILIPINO Grandmasters Wesley So, Oliver Barbosa and Mark Paragua will be under the microscope when they play against their foreign counterparts in the 2013 World Chess Cup which takes place on Aug. 11 in Tromso, Norway.
So, Barbosa and Paragua vowed their best to be included in the second round.
"Gagawin namin ang best para makapasok sa second round ng World Cup. Si Wes (Wesley So) ay llamado pero kami ni Oliver (Oliver Barbosa) ay under dog kung Fide rating ang pag-uusapan," said Paragua who is fresh from conducting a simultaneous chess exhibition last July 27 at the SM City in Marilao, Bulacan with six-year old whiz kid James Henry Calacday salvaged a draw with the former (Paragua).
101th seed Paragua (ELO 2565) goes up against 28th seed GM Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia (ELO 2724) in the first round; 33th seed So (ELO 2710) will face 96th seed GM Alexander Ipatov of Turkey (ELO 2584); and 100th seed Barbosa (ELO 2571) will meet 29th seed GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam (ELO 2702)
It shall be recalled that Paragua lost to England`s GM Michael Adams 0.5-1.5 in the first round of World Chess Cup in the 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia edition while So lost to then top seed Ukrainian GM Sergey Karjakin in the blitz tie-break of the Round 2 of World Chess Cup 2011. Barbosa is first timer in World Chess Cup.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) Chairman/President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. is very confident that Wesley can make it to the Round of 3 of World Cup.
"Naniniwala ako na kaya ni Wesley maka abot sa Round 3 ng World Cup kung saan inaasahan nating makakalaban niya si GM Levon Aroanian ng Armenia," said the long-time benefactor of Wesley.
"Medyo mahigpitan naman ang laban nina Oliver vs Le Quang Liem at Mark vs Dmitry Jakovenko," added Pichay dubbed as the God Father of Philippine Chess.
If Wesley can go past Ipatov then he will play the winner of the match between No.32 GM Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia (ELO 2706) and No. 97 Alejandro Ramirez of the United States (ELO 2588).
So's heavyweight opponent in Round 3, if he reaches the round, will be against the top seed GM Levon Aronian of Armenia (2813). Aronian, boyfriend of Fil-Australian WIM Arianne Bo Caoili is expected to beat No. 128 untitled MIkahil Markov of Kyrgyzstan (ELO 2304) and the survivor of No. 64 GM Igor Lysyj of Russia (ELO 2648) and No. 65 GM Andrei Istratescu of France (ELO 2646).-Marlon Bernardino-
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