Wesley So seeks to rekindle flickering hopes vs Kramnik

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Wesley So seeks to rekindle flickering hopes vs Kramnik
Another draw for Wesley So in Round 4 of the Fide candidates tournament in Berlin

MANILA, Philippines – Former world chess champiopn Vladimir Kramnik slumps on his table after losing unexpectedly to Fabiano Caruana. Wesley So slightly purses his lips as he draws against world number two Shakriyar Mamedyarov in a 31-move Nimzo-Indian.

These were the poignant images from round 4 Wednesday, March 14, of the Fide Candidates Tournament in Berlin. So will clash with his idol Kramnik on round 5 Thursday, March 15 fifth round of this 14-game double round-robin.

With 3 points, Caruana wrested the lead from Kramnik. Kramnik and Mamedyarov are in tied for second with 2.5 points. All toting two points are Levon Aronian, Ding Liren, and Alexander Grischuk. Sergey Karjakin now keeps So company at last place with similar one point records. 

It was the second straight draw for So. In a post-match press conference, he said: “I was trying to be careful not to miss something. In my first two games, I missed many, many things. I missed all the best moves.”

If there is time for So to play himself into form, it must be done on Thursday night. To wait for another upheaval at the top like what happened on Wednesday, might be cutting it too close despite the players being clustered closely. Starting with his game against Kramnik, So will face Aronian and Karjakin in his next games to end the first cycle of this double-round event.

 

Kramnik is not a former world champion for nothing and he will be trying something solid to get his bearings after he created a masterpiece on Tuesday against Aronian. In his game against Caruana, Kramnik grabbed the initiative after Caruana fell into his customary time trouble. Kramnik’s famous faultless endgame skill deserted him and Caruana made no mistake.

Against Mamedyarov, who ended So’s 71-game no-loss record last year, So played safely and did not allow his foe, who is notorious for sudden attacks, any chances.

From studying Kramnik’s games, So acquired a tendency to prefer solid pawn structures, well placed pieces and subtle positional judgment. So has had two wins and four draws against Kramnik.

So will have to make crucial decisions against Kramnik virtually alone. He is the only one in this elite field of 8 grandmasters without a second or trainer. So has been working with chess engines and computers for nearly ten years and did not have a coach until he got Vladimir Tukmakov in 2017. His contract was not renewed after So’s debacle at the 2017 Sinquefield Cup.

 

Standings after four rounds: 

  

Round 4 results: Grischuk 0.5 – 0.5 Ding Liren , Mamedyarov 0.5 – 0.5 So; Kramnik 0 – 1 Fabiano, Karjakin 0 – 1 Levon. 

Round 5 pairings: Aronian-Grischuk, Caruana-Karjakin, So-Kramnik and Ding- Mamedyarov. – Rappler.com

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