Wesley So rarely shows emotion after a game. But after beating Magnus Carlsen on Sunday, February 14, he did a fist pump smiling.
After all, he forged a 2-2 tie in their first match for the Opera Euro Rapid crown, making Monday’s second match truly thrilling.
So fell behind when he yielded game 2 to the world champion despite a prepared line. Just like game 1, they drew game 3, forcing So to go all-out for a win in game 4.
Handling white, So opted for the Italian Game and soon gained a material edge with a queen and two rooks against Carlsen’s queen, rook, and bishop.
A solid Rg4 on the 34th put Carlsen on the edge and on the 37th So pushed Qc1 which will lead to an unstoppable mate. Carlsen resigned and So had his moment.
“I’m very thrilled obviously to win on demand with the white pieces. White pieces are much easier than black, but still, it’s a very difficult thing to do,” said the Filipino-born So, the United States champion who beat Carlsen for the Skilling Open title last November.
Carlsen took the loss in stride.
“It was ok. I made a mistake pretty early on and then I just had a very bad position. I probably could have fought a little bit better there by not taking on d5, but it was difficult. Anyway, I’m fairly happy with a draw today, so I’ll just try and push a little bit harder tomorrow (Monday),” said Carlsen.
The victory put So ahead in their personal duel in the Opera Euro as the reigning world Fischer Random king also trounced Carlsen in the first round of the preliminary stage.
Airthings Masters winner Teimour Radjabov posted a 2.5-1.5 victory over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and needs only a draw in the second match to secure 3rd place. – Rappler.com
via PK
Post a Comment