Wesley So, Carlsen enter clutch Chess International semis
SEMIS-BOUND. Wesley So is set to face the winner of the quarterfinal duel betweenTeam USA members Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez. File photo from FIDE World Candidates Tournament Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So sealed his semifinal seat with a game to go while Magnus Carlsen took the full route to book his ticket in the $265,000 (P13.25 million) Clutch Chess International on Monday, June 8 (Tuesday, June 9 Philippine time).
The Filipino-born So, now representing the United States, took the penultimate 11th game to move beyond the reach of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and then wrap up their quarterfinal tussle with another win over the Frenchman, 13-5.
World champion Carlsen, however, needed a victory in the closing 12th game to oust American rising star Jeffery Xiong in another round of 8 battle, 11.5-6.5.
So, who topped the inaugural Clutch Chess Champions Showdown held in late May, will face the winner of the quarterfinal duel between fellow Team USA members Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez.
Aiming to recover from his finals loss to So in the Champions Showdown, Caruana paces Dominguez, 5.5-2.5, going to the next 6 games.
Carlsen, winner of last month's invitational tournament bearing his name, will tackle either Armenian Levon Aronian or Russian Alexander Grischuk.
Aronian leads Grischuk, 5-3, with 6 games to play in their quarterfinal clash.
Ahead by 3 points after the first set, So settled for draws in the 7th, 8th and 10th games even as Vachier-Lagrave snatched game 9.
"I could feel the heat," said So, who kept his poise to take the 11th game, worth 3 points, and the match. With the 12th, also a 3-pointer, already no-bearing, the Frenchman surrendered after just 15 moves.
It was a harder ride for Carlsen as Xiong, the 2016 world junior champion, tied him with a win in the 7th game and a draw in the 8th.
Banking on his vast experience, Carlsen pounced on a blunder by Xiong to win game 9, took the 10th, and drew the 11th.
Ahead by 2 points, Carlsen refused to relax as Xiong could still dislodge him. Carlsen won and made his march to the round of 4 more convincing. – Rappler.com
