So.
Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So's World Chess Cup campaign will officially be over if he doesn't find a way to beat Russian Grandmaster Evgeny Tomashevsky late Thursday in their second game of standard play format.
The No. 33 seed So (ELO 2708) bowed to No. 32 seed Tomashevsky (ELO 2708) late Wednesday in their first game after 51 moves of Grunfeld Defense, Prins Variation, Grunfeld using the disadvantageous black pieces.
A win by So, one of the most popular young players in the tournament, would force a possible rapid playoff on Friday.
So crushed GM Alexander Ipatov of Turkey, 1.5-0.5, to advance to the second round of the 2013 World Chess Cup at the Scandic Hotel in Tromso, Norway.
In 2011 Khanty Mansiysk, Russia edition, So lost to then top seed Ukrainian GM Sergey Karjakin in the blitz tie-break in the second round.
In 2009 Khanty Mansiysk, Russia edition, So ousted former world championship candidates GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, 1.5-.5 in the second round and American GM Gata Kamsky, 1.5-.5 in the third round to march to the quarterfinals. His Cinderella run however, was ended by GM Vladimir Malakhov of Russia, 4-1 in rapid tiebreak.
The two other Filipino campaigners -- 100th seed GM Oliver Barbosa (ELO 2572) and 110th seed GM Mark Paragua (ELO 2545) -- were not as lucky, however bowed out of the 128-player, knockout-style event organized by FIDE (World Chess Federation) late Monday.
Barbosa bowed to 29th seed GM Le Quang Liem (ELO 2712) of Vietnam and Paragua was yielded to 28th seed GM Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia (ELO 2724) in their two-game standard play with a similar 0-2 score.
The country's campaign in the tournament is supported by former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr., 7th district Cavite Rep. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino Jr., Bayan Muna Party-List Rep.Neri Javier Colmenares and GM Jayson Gonzales of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).-Marlon Bernardino-
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