The Week in Chess

Wesley So only took the lead in the final of the Skilling Open against Magnus Carlsen for the first time in the first game of the blitz tie-break and in spite of giving up an exchange in the second game So managed to hold on for the draw he needed and take the $30,000 first prize. So was slow to get involved in these online events but he's clearly fully engaged now.

Carlsen won the first game of the day with a lovely exchange sacrifice which gave him a hugely dominant position with black which he converted readily. In game two with white Carlsen sacrificed a pawn for good chances. So found the excellent rearrangement of his pieces 14...a6 15...Rc6 16...Kd8 which more or less equalised and after this Carlsen struggled to find a plan. Soon Carlsen really was just a pawn down for no real compensation and was eventually ground down. Game three was full of serious errors, So reached a winning position out of the opening and 18.Rae1 should have brought home the full point, instead his 18.Bb5 allowed 18...Nf4! which would have been winning for Carlsen, instead 18...Qc8 allowed white to escape into a worse endgame but even here Carlsen didn't make the best of his chances and the game finished in a draw. Game four was a very quick draw. Carlsen has used this strategy of going to a rapid or blitz tie-break in many circumstances successfully but today he got a bad position out of the opening in game one of the tie-break and after some uncertainly So brought home the full point. As mentioned above the final game was drawn.

The erratic play later in the day I think showed tiredness from both players after playing 9 days straight - a single rest day is perhaps something the organisers should think about. This event does not qualify So for the tour final, there are three majors where this can happen, the first of those starts on the 26th December, nevertheless this result will be a big boost for him and shows he is a real force to be reckoned with. Carlsen played this event while on holiday in a hot country. Today - November 30th is his 30th birthday.