Wesley So’s life and career in turmoil

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So finished third in a US Chess Championship stained by four losses in St. Louis Monday morning, but a few hours later a battle between his mother and a former movie actress whose family took him in last year flared up on chess websites.  

There will be no early resolution, like in the effortless way that So beat Kayden Troff, his last round foe. This comes a few days before he is to compete in the super-strong tournament in Azerbaijan which will be led by world champion Magnus Carlsen and former titleholder Viswanathan Anand.

Eleanor So, in an interview with chessdom.com said: “Wesley happily met us before the opening ceremony and won his first two games,” said Eleanor.

Since leaving Webster University late last year, So has been living with the family of Lotis Key and her husband, former PBA cager Renato Kabigting in Minnetonka, which is located in Minnesota. 

Eleanor So says that the actress, Lotis Key, has “smeared” her family and accused her of sabotaging the 21-year-old’s chess career. 

“Clearly after the next day, he changed completely,” Eleanor continues. “He sent me an email about bank info in Canada. I was calling him but he ignored me. Lotis told him something like he needed to be back in his room, and they walked hurriedly, leaving us behind.” 

It is not known how much is the amount involved but this is said to include life savings, the monthly allowance of P40,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission while So was playing for the Philippines and tournament prize money. 

Eleanor said the next day they were banned from the playing venue “as per instructed by Wes. 

“On April 7, I received an email saying, ‘Give me all my bank information, my savings and all the investment that you have made there.’ I simply told him to come to Canada.

“I then received three emails which were very disturbing. Wesley has never used this kind of language before,” she added. 

In the April 11 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Key said: “At one point, So’s mother and aunt confronted him outside the chess club after his game, trying to grab his arm and yelling at him when he wouldn’t go with them to talk, according to Key and So. That led to an apology by So to the club for the scene, and a request that the mother and aunt be banned from the tournament site. ” 

“Key said So’s mother admitted to her that So’s former chess coach at Webster had a hand in her trip to St. Louis to confront her son, including reserving a hotel room for her.

Key and So said the former coach, Paul Truong, was angry over losing one of the world’s top players from his team when So left Webster. “Wesley fell apart after that, knowing that his own biological family was working with his worst enemy,” Key said. “Paul will never forgive Wesley for leaving Webster.”’

Key added that “three adults conspired to destroy a kid.”

Truong denied these charges to Chessbase editor-in-chief Fred Friedel. 

Around noon Monday, a post appeared on Wesley So’s Facebook page, referring to his mother by her first name, saying: “All your statements to Chessdom are sad, ridiculous and completely untrue… I was desperately trying to be nice hoping you and Susan would leave quickly. I see that it is a mistake.” 

“It was not the Key family who wanted to go on to the media. It was me who pushed them to speak out for me because I was going crazy with anger, after you revealed to us your involvement with Paul Truong,” the post reads.

So accuses his mother of abandoning him at age 16, “telling me to become a man and find my life.” More troubling is So alluding to his savings account, which he insinuates has been emptied.

“So how about my bank account numbers please? You know? My life savings, you said [you] were keeping for me when I was a minor. I have already contacted Royal Bank of Canada, and strangely, the bulk of my savings is not there. Want to explain that publicly?” the post reads. – Rappler.com