Wesley So Represents US After Becoming Citizen

Wesley So, the chess super grandmaster, officially represents the US after becoming a citizen earlier this year. He ended hopes of representing the Philippines again, where he originally competed.

What happened?

So received his citizenship documents on February 26, as reported by ABS-CBN. He immigrated to the US in 2014 and transferred to the United States Chess Federation. So moved to Minnetonka, Minnesota, to live with his adoptive parents, Renato Kabigting and Lotis Key.

Why it matters for Wesley So

So likes the American attitude and culture, which he believes enabled him to become a better player. He told the US Chess Federation, "I want to give back to a country that has been so good to me." Key, his adoptive mother and manager, handles the logistics of his elite player life.

What comes next?

So is currently ranked 9th in the FIDE Standard and recently defeated Magnus Carlsen, the current No. 1 chess player, in two events at the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. He won the Opera Euro Rapid in February and the Skilling Open last November, as reported by Yahoo. On Monday, Carlsen defeated So to win the FTX Crypto Cup event. So became the youngest player to pass a 2600 Elo skill rating system in October 2008, breaking the record previously held by Carlsen. He made his Olympiad debut at age 12, representing the Philippines during the Turin Olympiad in 2006. So has competed in five Chess Olympiads and won the Philippines' first-ever gold medal in the Summer Universiade in Russia in 2012. He was deprived of the incentives usually awarded to Filipino athletes, as reported by The Manila Times. So decided to become an American citizen to have opportunities he couldn't get in his country of origin. He said, "You are not held back by your color, lack of connections or the amount of money you have." So added, "If you work hard, you have a better chance of making it here than anywhere else in the world.