WESLEY So defeated the world champion Magnus Carlsen, 2½-1½, in the second set of their finals match to win the Opera Euro Rapid Tournament – the third stage of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour – on Valentine’s Day at chess24.com server.
Wesley’s win was his second finals victory over Carlsen whom he also defeated in the finals of the Skilling Open, the first stage of the tournament. Wesley opened the second set with a crushing 28-move win in a Sicilian Rossolimo, helped no less by an over-eager Carlsen who boldly sacrificed a bishop to open up So’s kingside for a possible attack. The sacrifice wilted and backfired, however, under Wesley’s brilliant defense. The Cavite-born Wesley, who pocketed US$30,000 for the victory, drew the remaining three games of the set for the final count. The two earlier drew the first set, 2-2.
Meanwhile, in the battle for 3rd place, Teimour Radjabov wiped an exhausted Maxime Vachier-Lagrave off the board with two straight games and with his earlier first set victory, took the match and $8,500 cash prize. The next stage of the tournament will be the on March 13.
So, Wesley (2770)-Carlsen, M (2862) [B30]
chess24.com (3.21) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2 Bb7 8.Re1 Rc8 9.a4 b4 10.d4 cxd4 11.cxd4 Ng6 12.Nbd2 Na5 13.g3 Be7 14.h4 Bxh4 15.gxh4 Nxh4 16.Nxh4 Qxh4 17.Re3 f5 18.Rg3 0-0 19.Nf3 Qh5 20.Ne5 Qxd1+ 21.Bxd1 d6 22.Nd3 fxe4 23.Nxb4 Nc4 24.a5 d5 25.Bg4 Rf6 26.Bg5 Rg6 27.Bh5 Rxg5 28.Rxg5 1-0
Carlsen, M (2862)-So, Wesley (2770) [C50]
chess24.com (3.22) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.c3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1 Bg4 9.Nbd2 Nb6 10.h3 Bh5 11.Bb3 Qxd3 12.Nxe5 Qf5 13.Nef3 Rad8 14.Qe2 Qc8 15.Qb5 Nd7 16.Nh4 a6 17.Qf1 Be7 18.Nf5 Rfe8 19.Nxe7+ Rxe7 20.Rxe7 Nxe7 21.Ne4 Bg6 22.f3 h6 23.Bf4 Nc6 24.Re1 Bxe4 25.fxe4 Nce5 26.Bg3 Re8 27.Rd1 Nc5 28.Bxe5 Nxb3 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.axb3 Rxe4 31.Qf3 Re7 32.Rd4 Qe6 33.Rg4+ Kh7 34.Qd3+ f5 35.Rf4 Kg6 36.Qg3+ Kh7 37.Qd3 Kg6 38.Kh1 Qe1+ 39.Rf1 Qe5 40.b4 c6 41.Qd8 Re8 42.Qd3 Re7 43.Qd2 Re6 44.Qf2 Re7 45.Rd1 f4 46.Kg1 Qe2 47.Rd6+ Kg5 48.Rd2 Qe1+ 49.Qxe1 Rxe1+ 50.Kf2 Rb1 51.Kf3 Rf1+ 52.Ke2 Rb1 53.Kf3 Rf1+ 54.Ke2 Rb1 55.Kf3 ½-½
So, Wesley (2770)-Carlsen, M (2862) [C50]
chess24.com (3.23) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 a5 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nbd2 Ba7 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Bb5 Ne7 11.d4 c6 12.Bd3 Ng6 13.h3 Nh5 14.Be3 Nhf4 15.Bc2 Qc8 16.Bb3 exd4 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.Qxd4 Bxb3 19.axb3 d5 20.Qd2 Nxh3+ 21.gxh3 Qxh3 22.f4 Nh4 23.Nh2 dxe4 24.Qf2 Rfe8 25.Qf1 Qg3+ 26.Kh1 Nf5 27.Qg2 Qxg2+ 28.Kxg2 Nxe3+ 29.Rxe3 f5 30.Nf1 Red8 31.Ree1 Kf7 32.Red1 Kf6 33.Rxd8 Rxd8 34.Rxa5 g5 35.fxg5+ Kxg5 36.Kf2 h5 37.Ne3 b5 38.Nf1 h4 39.Ra7 Rh8 40.Rf7 h3 41.Ng3 h2 42.Rxf5+ Kg4 43.Rf6 h1N+ 44.Nxh1 Rxh1 45.Rxc6 Kf4 46.Rf6+ Ke5 47.Rf8 Rh2+ 48.Ke3 Rxb2 49.b4 Rh2 50.Re8+ Kd5 51.Rd8+ Ke5 52.Re8+ Kd5 53.Rd8+ Ke5 54.Re8+ ½-½
Carlsen, M (2862)-So, Wesley (2770) [C50]
chess24.com (3.24) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Re1 a5 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Bb6 11.Na3 Nh7 12.Nc2 h5 13.h3 h4 14.Bh2 g4 15.hxg4 Bxg4 16.d4 exd4 17.Ncxd4 Nxd4 18.cxd4 Ng5 19.Qd3 Nxf3+ 20.gxf3 Bh5 21.e5 d5 22.Bb3 a4 23.Bd1 Qg5+ 24.Kh1 Bg6 25.Qe2 Bxd4 26.Rg1 Qh5 27.Qd2 c5 28.f4 Qh6 29.Rg5 f6 30.exf6 Bxf6 31.Qxd5+ Kh8 32.Bf3 a3 33.Rag1 axb2 34.Rxg6 Qxg6 35.Rxg6 b1Q+ 36.Rg1 Qh7 37.f5 Rg8 38.Re1 Rae8 39.Re6 Rxe6 40.Qxe6 Qh6 41.Bd1 Qg5 42.Qe4 Qd2 43.Bg4 Qg5 44.f3 Qc1+ 45.Kg2 h3+ 46.Kxh3 Qh6+ 47.Kg3 Rd8 48.Bh3 Qg5+ 49.Bg4 Qh6 50.Bg1 Qh4+ 51.Kg2 Rd2+ 52.Kf1 Rd1+ 53.Kg2 Rd2+ 54.Kf1 Rd1+ 55.Kg2 Rd2 ½-½
Vachier-Lagrave, M (2784)-Radjabov, T (2765) [B32]
chess24.com (3.22) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Be7 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 f5 9.exf5 Bxf5 10.Nc2 Nf6 11.Ne3 Be6 12.g3 0-0 13.Bg2 Qd7 14.Ncd5 Rae8 15.0-0 Bd8 16.b3 Bh3 17.Bb2 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 Ne7 19.Nxf6+ Rxf6 20.Rc1 Qc6+ 21.Nd5 Bb6 22.f4 Bd4 23.Bxd4 Nxd5 24.cxd5 Qxd5+ 25.Qf3 Qxf3+ 26.Kxf3 exd4 27.Rfd1 Re3+ 28.Kf2 Rfe6 29.Rxd4 Re2+ 30.Kf3 Rxh2 31.a4 h5 32.f5 Re5 33.g4 hxg4+ 34.Kg3 Rb2 35.Rxd6 Rxf5 36.Kxg4 Rbf2 37.Rc8+ Kh7 38.Rc4 b5 39.axb5 Rxb5 40.Kg3 Rf6 41.Rxf6 gxf6 42.b4 a5 43.bxa5 Rxa5 44.Rh4+ Kg6 45.Rg4+ Rg5 46.Rxg5+ Kxg5 47.Kf3 Kf5 48.Kf2 Kf4 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rh2!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Qd6 2.f4#; 1…Qxe3 2.Qxe3#;
1…Rxg5/f4/f3/xf2 2.Bd3#./PN
