No. 1 US team offers Wesley So scholarship

WESLEY SO: To Texas Tech?

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So has been offered an athletic scholarship by United States NCAA Division I champion Texas Tech University.

The 18-year-old So, the country’s top player with an Elo rating of 2659, received the invitation from Hungarian GM Sofia Bulgar, who steered the Knight Raiders, composed of players from different countries, to the top of the 2011 President’s Cup, the Final Four of college chess.

So, winner of a gold and a silver in last month’s Southeast Asian Games, needs to pass the Scholastic Assessment Test in the US to be able to play for Texas Tech.

Seeded only fourth, Texas Tech stunned University of Maryland, a six-time national champion; Baltimore County, and four-time titlist University of Texas-Dallas.

The Texas Tech offer elated So’s parents, William and Leny, both CPAs who are now based in Toronto, because they want their son to finish his studies. So skipped schooling this year to focus on chess.

Also invited by Polgar to bolster the Knight Raiders’ roster is German GM Georg Meier, who like So has an Elo 2659.

Reginald Tee, So’s longtime manager, will be accompanying the former chess protege when he takes the eligibility test in the US. If he makes it to Texas Tech, So wants to take up a computer course.

Composing this year’s Knight Raiders are GM Anatoly Bykhovsky of Israel, GM Davorin Kuljasevic of Croatia, GM Andre Diamant of Brazil, IM Istvan Sipos of Hungary and Faik Aleskerov of Azerbaijan.

The Knight Raiders’ scholarship covers tuition and housing expenses plus sponsorships in international tournaments.