Wesley So

[Jack Maguire]

Wesley So evidently may be changing chess federations but it won't be to Canada ):

http://www.rappler.com/sports/philip...-wesley-so-usa

[Andrei Botez]

Re: Wesley So

Wesley So evidently may be changing chess federations but it won't be to Canada ):

http://www.rappler.com/sports/philip...-wesley-so-usa

Will take some time for the transfer, but if will be done today, that will take USA from 8th place to 5th place on country rank list based on average top 10 ratings.

Germany entered top 10 (was 14th) after the Romanian #1 GM Nisipeanu switched federations.

Canada entered top 40 (around 10 spots - now 37th place) after the transfer of GM Kovalyov.

Also I notice that GM Susan Polgar spouse, FM Paul Truong, change federations too... from USA to Cambodia!

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Wesley So

Wesley So evidently may be changing chess federations but it won't be to Canada ):

I consider that a PLUS. More chances for our Canadian players to develop and get places in events under the Canadian Flag.

Just a personal opinion.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Wesley So

Interview with Wesley So Jun 9, 2014

Extracts from an interview with Chessdom

http://www.chessdom.com/interview-with-wesley-so-2/

Chessdom: Why do you need to switch federation? Can’t you achieve the same thing by staying with the NCFP?

Wesley So: There are many more strong events in the United States. I would like to have the opportunity to compete in high-level events. But this is not the only reason. One of problems is the current system in the Philippines. I will give you my personal example. At this stage of my career, I need to have serious training, and have the opportunity to compete in level appropriate events (category 19-20-21 or higher) in order to improve. I train very hard every day at Webster University, with the help of my coach Susan Polgar. I went from around #100 in the world before I came to Webster University less than 2 years ago, to #15 right now. I hope to be invited to many strong events in the near future. In the Philippines, there is no serious training system. There are also very few strong tournaments in Asia. Besides, I am required to fly back from the U. S. during my school year to compete in events such as the South East Asian Games, which seriously conflict with my study at Webster University. I have to live with the fear that if I am unable to play, I may get deprived of financial support. When I did not compete in the Asian Indoor Games in 2013, and instead played in the World University Games (which was a very strong event), in spite of winning the first ever Gold medal for the Philippines, I was denied the official recognition from the NCFP. No player should be treated this way, especially when I worked so hard to bring pride to my country.

Chessdom: Do you have any financial agreement with the USCF?

Wesley So: I did not make any agreement. On the contrary to the rumors out there, I receive no support from the U. S. for switching. What I receive is serious training (from my coach Susan Polgar) and support system at Webster University. However, this is independent from me switching federation. Webster University does not require me to play for team USA.

Chessdom: What are your future chess goals?

Wesley So: My next goal is to break 2750, then top 10 in the world. My ultimate goal is to be able to one day compete for the world title. But I am only focused on one goal at a time.

Chessdom: Do you consider yourself Filipino, Canadian, or American?

Wesley So: I am a proud Filipino, always will be a Filipino at heart, and never forget where I came from. I am thankful for all the support in the past. My parents now live permanently in Canada. But I live full time in St. Louis right now and I hope to reside permanently in the U. S.

[Gus U]

Re: Wesley So

@gary reuben...Indeed.. a plus with not playing here. Who needs a 2750 player, a 20 year old prodigy who is closing on the top 10 and might play the world championship in the future, to play for Canada ? He would be of no benefit to Canadian chess at all. We're ecstatic with being ranked 37th in the world .

[Mark Biong]

Re: Wesley So

@gary reuben...Indeed.. a plus with not playing here. We're ecstatic with being ranked 37th in the world .

Very logical! You do not need GMs to play for Canada if that is the goal. That' s the reason why Canada remains on the limelight and never on the spotlight!:). Do you think Canada can win the World Hockey Championship if you field the bench players? Truth be told, no chance at all but very good chance of getting a GM Norm.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Re: Wesley So

In another context (Sinophobic sabre-rattling by the State Department) a commentator remarked on Filipino attitudes to the USA:

Also remember that Philippine presidents were consistently supportive of the US. You probably saw the survey that shows that the Philippine people love the United States more than Americans love themselves. So for the Americans it is easy to get support for their China policy here.”

That's a lot of love.

link: Philipinos like the US more than Americans do.

[Gus U]

Re: Wesley So

Maybe for those that lived through WWII after being liberated by the Americans but for Wesley So it is not love... it's pure business I think :o FYI the Americans no longer have naval and air force bases in the Philippines once considered the largest outside the US.

So wouldn't say he's playing for the USCF unless he is wanted and assured a spot otherwise he would look like a fool. Looks like there's no better place for him to further his career other than the US so good for him. Most of his countrymen support his decision but the Phil CF head is not happy with his proposed departure.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Re: Wesley So

Maybe for those that lived through WWII after being liberated by the Americans but for Wesley So it is not love... it's pure business I think :o FYI the Americans no longer have naval and air force bases in the Philippines once considered the largest outside the US.

In terms of general Philipino attitudes ... it's not so much "gratitude" towards the US as a servile attitude inculcated by the "extremely intensive American propaganda machine" (Prof. Tadem). Filipinos have been subject to so much US propaganda that they have been convinced that the era of direct US colonialism was somehow "benevolent" ... despite the fact that a million Filipinos died during that brutal era, ( Philippine – American War of 1898–1901) constituting 1/10 of the entire Filipino population at the time. The Philipines was the "first Vietnam" but this has been erased ... from living memory.

Most of his countrymen support his decision but the Phil CF head is not happy with his proposed departure.

The survey that Prof Tadem made use of is quite recent. Where are you getting your public opinion data from?

[Nigel Hanrahan]

unlimited US access to Phil military bases

FYI the Americans no longer have naval and air force bases in the Philippines once considered the largest outside the US.

This is highly misleading. The recently signed Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) allows the US basically unlimited access to Philipino military bases, effectively bypassing the ban on the establishment of foreign bases on Philipino territory, clearly violating the Philippine Constitution.

Nice try.

Servility to the US will not save the Aquino regime

EDCA circumvents the ban on foreign military bases and troops by the Philippine constitution and allows the US to increase the so-called rotational presence of its troops and build military bases under the guise of authorised temporary facilities in areas of the Philippine armed forces.

[Gus U]

Re: unlimited US access to Phil military bases

LOL.. the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1990 covered the Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base in ashes . The US gave up on restoration which would have cost them $10Billion.

150,000 lost their jobs in the bases. plus some 50,000 prostitutes in (subic) Olongapo City and (Clark )Angeles City lost their livelihood. Fast forward 20 years later... Subic is now an export processing zone where foreign companies can set up plants without paying too much taxes. The Ezone had brought back jobs to the local folks. CLark is now a civilian airport but had been opened to US air force use in 2012.

Bottom line... for decades the US imperalists were giving $300M a year to the country as "economic aid" in return for the use of the 2 LARGEST bases outside of the United States. They were paying $2Billion a year to Turkey for an air base smaller than Clark. Filipinos knew this was a rip off and were trying to get off the bind for decades but the US knew how to play their cards with the Phil government. In the end, the hand of God - Mt. Pinatubo volcano made it happen.


This is NOT public opinion... This is FACT.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Re: unlimited US access to Phil military bases

LOL.. the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1990 covered the Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base in ashes ...

Clark and Subic are not the only US bases allowed over the years by various servile regimes.

EDCA is now widely considered far worse than the VFA as it allows not only unlimited increase in the rotational presence of US military forces but also the building of US military bases and stations in areas of the Philippine armed forces, thus reducing Filipino troops to mere perimeter guards at the Philippines' expense...

The US requires the Philippines to upgrade certain AFP camps and reservations in Palawan and Rizal to US military bases. It is spending P1 billion ($22.4m) to improve naval facilities in Ulugan Bay and Oyster Bay in Palawan to accommodate and service the growing traffic of US warships, planes and combat troops.

In any case, you seem to be forgetting the hatred for the dictatorial Marcos regime from 1972 to 1986. US support for this brutal tyrant was to keep their bases in the country. "Thus, the architects of the 1987 Philippine constitution decided to ban foreign military bases, troops and nuclear weapons from Philippine territory. "

[Andy Shaw]

Re: unlimited US access to Phil military bases

In any case, you seem to be forgetting the hatred for the dictatorial Marcos regime from 1972 to 1986. US support for this brutal tyrant was to keep their bases in the country. "Thus, the architects of the 1987 Philippine constitution decided to ban foreign military bases, troops and nuclear weapons from Philippine territory. "

Very true Nigel. Ferdinand Marcos - the king of despotism and nepotism. I remember taking an elective on the History of the Philippines. It was a short one credit course. We shall never forget the Marcos regime that's for certain. If memory serves me correctly, September 21, 1972, Marcos declared martial law.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

the ugliness of politics and the best for Wesley So

Very true Nigel. Ferdinand Marcos - the king of despotism and nepotism. I remember taking an elective on the History of the Philippines. It was a short one credit course. We shall never forget the Marcos regime that's for certain. If memory serves me correctly, September 21, 1972, Marcos declared martial law.

I thought Canadians were brainwashed into pro-US subservience, what with the utter dominance of mass media like television, film, and so on. (90% or better of films seems in Canada are US films) Apparently, we aren't the only ones. The reach of the Empire is long.

In any case, we all wish Wesley So all the best in his chess career, whatever he decides and however things turn out. Naturally enough, Filipinos would probably want him to play for his country of birth, but that doesn't always work out. Heck, because of politics, the only official US World Champion in chess became persona non grata in the country of his birth, and the kid from Brooklyn who became Champion of the World found his final resting place on a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: the ugliness of politics and the best for Wesley So

It seems the Philippines hasn't as yet decided to grant Wesley his release.

http://www.rappler.com/sports/philip...e-distractions