International master (IM) John Paul Gomez and grandmaster (GM) Wesley So will lead the Philippine contingent to the World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany this coming November.

According to a report posted on SportsNews.ph, Gomez and So were ranked number 1 and 2, respectively, in the 17-round Olympiad qualifier organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Gomez captured the top honor at the qualifying tournament after splitting the point with IM Rolando Nolte during the 17th and final-round match last Sunday.

Gomez settled for a draw with Nolte in 31 moves of the French defense to formally capture the title and earn one of five berths to the Philippine team to the World Chess Olympiad which will run from November 12 to 25.

Following Gomez on second place is 14-year-old chess prodigy So, who is the country’s highest-rated player with an ELO of 2577 based on the FIDE quarterly list for July.

NCFP President Prospero "Butch" Pichay said the top 10 players in the tournament also earned the right to represent the country in the World Mind Games in Beijing, China on Oct. 3-13.