Wesley So survived Dutch Jorden van Foreest’s upset try for a 2-2- draw in the first of their two-set quarterfinal duel in the $1.6 million Chessable Masters of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Wednesday, August 4.
The Cavite-born So banked on a third-game victory in their four-game duel after drawing the first and fourth matches and losing the second.
It was an impressive showing for van Foreest to press for an attack and push the match into four games despite being the underdog after seeding eighth compared to So’s No. 1 seeding.
So and van Foreest square off in the final four-game set on Wednesday for a slot in the semifinals.
So is eyeing his third title in this tour after he reigned supreme in the Skilling Open in November last year and the Euro Opera Rapid in February.
He is also seeking to earn some points here to close in on overall tour leader and world classical champion Magnus Carlsen, who skipped this event due to his commitment in the 2021 Chess World Cup in Sochi, Russia.
In other results, American Hikaru Nakamura and Russian Vladislav Artemiev drew all their four games for 2-2; Armenian Levon Aronian downed Azeri Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 2.5-0.5; and Vietnamese Le Quang Liem smashed French-Iranian Alireza Firouzja, 3-1.