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Wesley So crashes out of Magnus Invitational

Sports

Wesley So crashes out of Magnus Invitational

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

Top photo from left: Wesley So and Anish Giri. Bottom, from left: Ian Nepomniachtchi and Magnus Carlsen

Two-time United States champion Wesley So could not find a way to break a solid-playing Anish Giri of the Netherlands to crash out in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Magnus Invitational Saturday, March 20.

The third-seeded So, who made short work of Iran-born Alireza Firouzja of FIDE in the quarterfinals, failed to break the rock-solid Giri to yield in their two-set duel via identical 2.5-1.5 scores.

The stinging defeat kicked down So to a battle for third place with reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who bowed down to Ian Nepomniachtchi in their match that was decided by the Russian’s win in the blitz tiebreaker.

The win set up Nepomniachtchi a title showdown with Giri.

Meanwhile, the So-Carlsen faceoff will be a battle between two world champions. So is currently the Fischer-Random king while Carlsen is the standard, rapid and blitz titleholder.

So bested Carlsen the last time these two met in the match—the finals of the Skilling Open late last year.

And third place isn’t that bad for So as it will earn him ranking points that should keep his stranglehold of the Tour lead.

Carlsen is running third in the tour behind No. 2 Teimour Radjabov, who didn’t make the playoff round.

Related Tags

Wesley So Ian Nepomniachtchi Magnus Carlsen Anish Giri Champions Chess Tour Magnus Invitational

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