Wesley So bowed to fellow American Leinier Dominguez Perez, 1.5-0.5, in their tiebreak matchup for a semifinal berth in the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 in Berlin, Germany Friday.
So first settled to a draw with Dominguez Perez in their first rapid game before losing the second in 34 moves of a Ruy Lopez Berlin.
Dominguez Perez’s victory arranged him a knockout semis match against Levon Aronian.
The other semis pairing pit Hungarian Richard Rapport and Hikaru Nakamura.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for the two-time US champion So, who beat Dominguez Perez in the group stages and was leading by a point in Pool D.
“That’s what chess is. You train so hard and then everything depends on that crucial few seconds of decision-making,” So said in an interview with FIDE.com
But the Cavite-born American decided to play it safe, allowing Dominguez Perez to catch up with him and force a tiebreak showdown.