Wesley So stretches no-loss streak to 45

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So, defending stoutly against his arch-rival Anish Giri of the Netherlands, earned a draw after the second round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament Sunday night, January 15. This was the Philippine-born’s 45th straight game without a loss. 

“After 10 moves, they exchanged queens and somehow, the writing was always on the wall. This ended in a draw,” said grandmaster Daniel King in Chessbase.com.  

“Wesley So actually defended very well. He sacrificed a pawn and got opposite colored bishops,” said King. “You can see that his rook ties down White.” 

At one point in his career, Giri turned the tables against So in this same tournament and later forged a 3-0 lead over So. So tied his personal record against Giri, whose results have pleateaued despite being trained by the famous Vladimir Tukmakov, who wrote the provocative Risk and Blunder in Chess.

So, who was born in Bacoor, Cavite and played for the Philippines until he shifted to the United States in 2014, is number 4 in the world based on the January 2017 Elo ratings.

So has one point out of two rounds in this tournament, one of the strongest chess events in the world. In Monday night’s third round, he faces dangerous foe Richard Rapport of Hungary, who has half-a-point. – Rappler.com