Wesley So’s attempt at catching up with Magnus Carlsen on top of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Grand Final took a blow Friday after yielding to Azerbaijan’s Teimour Radjabov in Round 6.
So lost in the regulation, 3-1, and watched Carlsen tighten his grip on the top spot with a 1.5-0.5 tiebreak victory over Netherlands’ Anish Giri.
Carlsen gained two points to improve to 28.5, while So remained at second to trail behind the Norwegian star with 21.5 points.
“Obviously, I’m not playing at my best right now... Things haven’t really been going my way,” So said in an interview with the tournament website.
So, however, remains optimistic of his chances with three rounds left in the tournament.
“I’ve got to remain sharp, play better chess and someone’s got to beat Magnus in order to catch him,” he said.
Radjabov’s triumph unlocked him from a two-way tie with Armenia’s Levon Aronian at third place with 18 points.
Aronian, meanwhile, settled at fourth with 15 points after absorbing a 2.5-1.5 loss over Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
In other matches, American Hikaru Nakamura came in fifth with 14 points following a 2-1 tiebreak win over Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Russian Vladislav Artemiev bested France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the tiebreak, 1.5-0.5, for sixth place with 13.5.
Vachier-Lagrave trailed at seventh with 12.5 points, followed by Giri (11.5), Duda (8), and Mamedyarov (6.5).
So hopes to bounce back when he faces Aronian in the seventh round, Duda in eighth and Carlsen in the ninth and final round.
Before meeting So in the last round, Carlsen, meanwhile, will play Radjabov in Round 7 and Aronian in Round 8.