Wesley So

Originally from the Philippines, Wesley came to the U.S. in August of 2012 where he enrolled at Webster University. After the move, he quickly leapt from being a top 100 player to one of the top ten worldwide, leading his school to back-to-back national titles along the way. In October 2014, GM So took first place at the inaugural Millionaire Open and then returned to Saint Louis to lead the Arch-Bishops to their first ever Pro Chess League Championship. Wesley then participated in his first elite tournament, securing the fourth place prize at the 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Holland. The following year he returned and tied for second place, just a half-point behind Magnus. 2016 saw the American GM earn first place in the Grand Chess Tour by winning the Sinquefield Cup and the London Chess Classic. He represented the US in the 2016 Olympiad, winning team gold and individual gold on board three. In 2017 Wesley won the Tata Steel Masters tournament and became the eleventh player in history to surpass 2800 FIDE. He was crowned the 2017 U.S. Champion after defeating Alexander Onischuk in the playoffs.