Wesley So grabs Sinquefield Cup lead as Magnus Carlsen withdraws

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So assumed top spot in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup on Monday, September 5 (Tuesday, September 6, Manila time), following the unexpected withdrawal of Magnus Carlsen in St. Louis, Missouri.

Beaten by Hans Niemann in the third round on Sunday, the top-seeded Carlsen did not appear for his fourth-round match against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and announced his withdrawal via Twitter.

I've withdrawn from the tournament. I've always enjoyed playing in the @STLChessClub, and hope to be back in the future https://t.co/YFSpl8er3u

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) September 5, 2022

The Bacoor, Cavite-born So, on the other hand, drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi after 25 moves of a Queen’s Gambit Accepted and raised his total to 2.5 points.

Niemann, who also drew with Alireza Firouzja, should have been the leader following his back-to-back victories over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Carlsen, but with the world champion’s withdrawal, the 19-year-old American was relegated to 2.0 points.

Under tournament rules, Carlsen’s previous results will be stricken off the tournament standing as he didn’t complete 50% of his games.

Also with 2.0 points were Leinier Dominguez, who agreed to a truce with Levon Aronian; Nepomniachtchi; Firouzja, who drew with Niemann; and Fabiano Caruana, who rebounded from a third-round defeat to So by besting Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

So will try to keep the solo lead when he tangles with Aronian (1.0) in the fifth round on Tuesday. Other matches pit Niemann against Dominguez, Mamedyarov against Caruana and Vachier-Lagrave against Nepomniachtchi.

Firouzha drew a bye as there are only nine players left to contend for the $350,000 total pot in the event serving as the fifth and final leg of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour. – Rappler.com