Wesley So wins third leg of FIDE Grand Prix but misses Candidates Tournament (Sabong News)
Author
Kristel Satumbaga-Villar
Date
APRIL 05 2022
Wesley So downed fellow American Hikaru Nakamura in the second rapid tiebreaker to rule the third leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin, Germany Monday.
So prevailed after 65 moves of a Ruy Lopez game after two draws in their classical games.
The first rapid tiebreak ended with a 56-move draw of Ruy Lopez. In the second tiebreak, So made sure this time he would succeed.
Despite his leg win, So ended up third in the three-leg series with 16 points to trail Nakamura, who won the overall crown with 23 points.
Hungarian Richard Rapport, who won the second leg in Belgrade, Serbia, came in second with 20 points.
Nakamura and Rapport’s 1-2 finish earned them berths in the Candidates Tournament set June 16 to July 7 in Madrid, Spain.
“I am only 28 and I’m hoping that next year or in a couple of years, I will get a chance to play in the Candidates. The last time I played I was very inexperienced and finished second to last, so I think if you qualify, you have to be ready to fight for first place,” so said in an interview with FIDE.
