Wesley So vaults to 3rd spot behind Giri, Carlsen

Wesley So struck back in the second part of the elimination round and inched closer toward another quarterfinals stint in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational.

Relegated to joint 9th place after the first part, So won three and drew two matches on Monday, March 15, to vault to 3rd place behind streaking Anish Giri and world champion Magnus Carlsen.

So, the overall leader of the Champions Chess Tour (CCT), raised his points total to 6.5 out of a perfect 10. Giri duplicated his four-point output in the first part and with 8 points is virtually assured of advancing to the knockout quarterfinals.

Carlsen, bidding for his first title since turning 30 in November, also tallied 4 points for a 7.5 total.

“It seems like I’m just waiting for my opponents to make mistakes and try to pounce on them,” said So, winner of the inaugural Skilling Open and the Opera Euro Rapid of the CCT. “I’m really just trying to score plus one, trying to qualify in the top 8. That’s my main goal.”

Back-to-back wins over new Team USA member Levon Aronian and Daniil Dubov in the sixth and seventh rounds, sent So back into orbit, after which he drew with fellow 6.5 pointer Hikaru Nakamura, beat Jorden van Foreest, and drew with Maxime-Vachier Lagrave.

The Cavite-born So, the reigning world Fischer Random and United States champion, needs only to draw his remaining 5 matches to qualify for the playoffs toward the $60,000 top purse.

Teen sensation Alireza Firouzja is at 6 points with Vachier-Lagrave.

With 4 spots almost in the bag for the pacesetters, attention shifts to the tight battle for the last 4 slots.

Although Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave have a built-in one-point edge, five-pointers Levon Aronian, Daniil Dubov, and Sergey Karjakin remain in the hunt with Ian Nepomniachtchi and Airthings Masters winner Teimour Radjabov, who both have 4.5 points.

From joint 2nd with Carlsen, Aronian tumbled out of the Magic 8 with only 1.5 points to show in the second set of 5 matches.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov could only produce 1 point and is on the brink of being booted out with 4 points like Tata Steel Masters winner Van Foreest. – Rappler.com