Wesley So matches career-best 54-game unbeaten streak

Wesley So tied his unbeaten mark of 54 games by drawing his 11th round game against Dmitry Andreikin Friday night, January 27 at the 2017 Tata Steel Tournament in the Netherlands. 

The first 54-game unbeaten streak ran from April 2014 to January 2015. So has not lost since July 2016. 

But a big upset by Chinese star Wei Yi over Sergey Karjakin of Russia, who unsuccessfully challenged for the world title held by Magnus Carlsen of Norway, brought Wei to second place, half-a-point away from So.

So and Wei Yi will clash in Saturday’s 12th and penultimate round. A draw will put So close to the championship. So’s new trainer, grandmaster Vladimir Tukmakov will earn his keep now.

Will So play for a win with White or draw? And what if in the last round, So draws and Wei Yi wins, creating a tie for first?  

Coaching philosophy

Tukmakov, according to a report by Filipino FIDE trainer Eliseo Tumbaga at Chessbase has been working with So for around 7 months. The results are victories at the Sinquefield Cup and the London Chess Classic, which propelled him to fourth in the world based on the January FIDE ratings.

Tukmakov has made his training philosophies known in the book Modern Chess Preparation, where he makes a case for not relying on computers but on using psychology and insight into an opponent and improving play in the middle game and endgame.

Fans at Tumbaga’s Chess News and Views Facebook page heralded Tukmakov’s presence as the “missing piece” for So to contend for the world championship. 

Tukmakov and So have been communicating by Skype, according to the Chessbase story. But nothing beats one-on-one contact and the presence of a veteran trainer who can provide insight to his player. 

The Russians have put preparation down to a science, which has only been disproved once: when Bobby Fischer KO’ed the Russian chess machinery in dethroning Boris Spassky in 1972. 

So, who relied heavily on computers, is certain to benefit from Tukmakov. Tukmakov had honed Anish Giri, who at one point led So 3-0 in personal score, to being third in the world but whose results have fallen off.

No wonder Filipino chess fans, who have never accepted So playing beside the US flag, are agog once more over the possibility that Wesley So may challenge for the world title. – Rappler.com