WESLEY SO IN 2010 W.C.O. IN KHANTY-MANSIYSK, RUSSIA
(L-R) GM Darwin Laylo, CM Joselito
Marcos, GM John Paul Gomez, WIM Catherine Perena, GM Wesley So, FI Roberto
Hernandez, Sherylin Cua, Charedee Camacho, Ms. Docena and Rwhy Reyes during the
final round of 2010 WCO in Russia. So, who is ranked 48th in the
world in 2013, is now in 2nd after a very impressive winning of 3
consecutive tournaments with the world’s best chess players.
(Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
WESLEY SO WINS 79th TATA STEEL
MASTERS CHESS TOURNAMENT
IN THE LAST week’s
edition of Chess Mate, the update of 79th Tata Steel Chess
Tournament is up to the 11th round only of this 13-round event that
includes current world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and his
challenger Sergey Karjakin in New York 2016 World Chess Championship.
Wesley So beat
Ian Nepomniachtchi straight from the opening, avoided a playoff and
became the winner of the 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament
in Wijk aan Zee today. Gawain Jones won the challengers and will play
the top guns in next year's tournament.
All
potential drama was silenced in a moment. In the final round, which
started 1.5 hours earlier, Nepomniachtchi used an offbeat line to treat So's
French Defense. It backfired completely.
The Russian player was lost right out of the opening, a
most unwelcome development for Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian and Wei
Yi. These three players still had a chance to catch So in first place, thus
forcing the first playoff in Wijk aan Zee, at least in modern history. The
tournament organizers had introduced this rule for the masters for this year,
but didn't get to use it.
On move
28 "Nepo" threw in the towel, and suddenly everything was
decided—after less than three hours of play. With the other six games still
going, So started accepting the congratulations of the organizers, officials
and guests, including Anatoly Karpov, who is visiting the tournament
today.
Karpov,
today: "Carlsen has a very similar style as me. In fact, he plays
even simpler than I did."
Wesley also defeated Nepomniachtchi at the Baku Olympiad,
after the Russian GM had started with 7/7. "He's a great fighter and
it's pleasure playing him," So said afterward.
After
winning this tournament, So now has a streak of not losing 56 games in a
row. He won the Sinquefield Cup in August last year, then Olympic team gold and
individual gold in Baku, then the London Chess Classic and now Wijk aan Zee.
Being the hottest man in chess would be an understatement.
The
win in Wijk aan Zee meant a lot to So: "Winning this tournament is huge,
with the world champion in it. It's a wonderful start of the year."If this
all wasn't enough, So also became the world No. 2 at the end of the day,
after Fabiano Caruana lost to Nigel Short in round six of the Gibraltar
Masters.
And
so, after three hours of play, all other players were out of contention. For
example, the clash between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin,
initially billed as one of the key games in this tournament, was just for the
history books. Nonetheless it was a game to watch obviously, as the first
classical encounter between these players since their 2016 world championship
in New York.
In a
surprisingly bloody final round, a total of five games ended decisively. Levon
Aronian had only lost one game thus far, but was unlucky enough to face Dmitry
Andreikin just when the Russian would play his best game of the tournament.
Carlsen
finished in clear second place because Wei Yi also went down
today. It looks like the Chinese player was trying too hard to beat Radek
Wojtaszek.
Baskaran
Adhiban qualified from the 2016 challengers, and couldn't have wished
for a better tournament. To finish in third place in the masters, with
plus-two, is just fantastic. Today he beat Richard Rapport, and
despite having done more than enough as far as contractual obligations are
concerned, he joined the live show once again.
Tata
Steel Masters | Final Standings
#
|
Fed
|
Name
|
Rtg
|
Perf
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
Pts
|
SB
|
|
1
|
So
|
2808
|
2887
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
9.0/13
|
||||
2
|
Carlsen
|
2840
|
2826
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
8.0/13
|
||||
3
|
Adhiban
|
2653
|
2812
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
0
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
7.5/13
|
47.00
|
|||
4
|
Aronian
|
2780
|
2802
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
1
|
7.5/13
|
46.00
|
|||
5
|
Wei Yi
|
2706
|
2808
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
7.5/13
|
44.75
|
|||
6
|
Karjakin
|
2785
|
2776
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
7.0/13
|
43.00
|
|||
7
|
Eljanov
|
2755
|
2777
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
1
|
7.0/13
|
42.00
|
|||
8
|
Giri
|
2773
|
2750
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
6.5/13
|
||||
9
|
Harikrishna
|
2766
|
2724
|
0
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
6.0/13
|
40.00
|
|||
10
|
Andreikin
|
2736
|
2726
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
1
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
6.0/13
|
39.00
|
|||
11
|
Wojtaszek
|
2750
|
2725
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
1
|
6.0/13
|
35.75
|
|||
12
|
Nepomniachtchi
|
2767
|
2669
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
5.0/13
|
||||
13
|
Rapport
|
2702
|
2645
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
½
|
4.5/13
|
||||
14
|
Van Wely
|
2695
|
2582
|
0
|
0
|
½
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
½
|
1
|
½
|
0
|
½
|
½
|
3.5/13
|
Solution to last week’s puzzle No. 15 by CM Joselito
Marcos: 1. Bh1 Kxh1 2. Ne2 Kh2 3. Nc3 Kh1 4. Ne4 Kh2 5. Nd2 Kh1 6. Nf1 h2 7.
Ng3#. Published in Today, Philippines (Aug. 25, 1996)
This week’s puzzle No. 16: White to move and mates in 25
moves (Solution next issue)
Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9-10
Volume 26
Issue 10
February 06, 2017
Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
The Beginning of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
Soon to be published as a book
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
April 25, 2013 -- February 06, 2017
Memoirs of a Chess Amatuer
My Memorable Games and Compositions
By CM Joselito Marcos
Page 429
The History of Chess in Palau
By Roberto Hernandez
June 09, 2002 -- February 06, 2017
