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Wesley So leads quarters matchup vs Firouzja, nears semis of Magnus Invitational

Sports

Wesley So leads quarters matchup vs Firouzja, nears semis of Magnus Invitational

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

wesley so — Grandmaster Wesley So (Photo from FIDE)

Grandmaster Wesley So overpowered rising star Alireza Firouzja, 2.5-0.5, to seize the first of their two-set quarterfinal showdown in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Magnus Invitational Wednesday, March 17.

The 27-year-old So needed just three of their four-game first-set duel to bring down the 17-year-old Firouzja, an Iran-born player representing FIDE, after winning the first two in smashing fashion and drawing the third.

The World Fischer-Random king and two-time United States titlist would just need to draw the final four-game set to advance to the semifinals of this leg staking a total cash pot US$220,000.

The Cavite-born, Minnesota-based So eyes to keep his stranglehold of the overall tour lead as he goes for a third title.

He took the opening leg, the Skilling Open, in December last year and the third, the Opera Euro Rapid, last month.

World classical champion Magnus Carlsen had a surprisingly easy time against Levon Aronian, born in Armenia but will soon represent the US, with a 2.5-0.5 triumph, in the other quarters matchup.

While Carlsen and So went trouble-free, other quarters matches pitting Dutch Anish Giri against French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi versus American Hikaru Nakamura ended up in 2-2 standoffs.

The winner of the Giri-Lagrave pairing will play either So or Firouzja while the victor in the Nepomniachtchi-Nakamura battle clashes with either Carlsen or Aronian.

Related Tags

Wesley So Magnus Carlsen Alireza Firouzja Champions Chess Tour Magnus Invitational Meltwater Champions Chess Tour

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