CHESS: MANILA – Filipino Chess Grand Master Wesley So draws vs Chinese GM Ding Liren

March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 Editor 0 Comment Chess, CHESS: MANILA – Filipino Chess Grand Master Wesley So draws vs Chinese GM Ding Liren, Wesley So

Ding Liren – Chinese Chess Grand Master. Ding is a three-time Chinese Chess Champion

MANILA, Philippines — Wesley So snapped a two-game losing skid with a 37-move draw with Chinese Ding Liren of a Ruy Lopez game but remained at the bottom of the elite field after three rounds of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Berlin, Germany Monday.

Losing to US teammate Fabiano Caruana and Russian Alexander Grischuk in the first two rounds, the Minnesota-based So appeared headed for a win after going a pawn up in an opposite-colored bishop endgame.

Filipino Chess Grand Master Wesley So

TRIVIA:

Ding Liren – Wikipedia

Ding Liren

Chinese chess Grandmaster

Ding Liren is a Chinese chess grandmaster. Ding is a three-time Chinese Chess Champion and has twice represented China at Chess Olympiads winning team gold and board bronze medals in 2014. Wikipedia

Born: 24 October 1992 (age 25), Wenzhou, China

Title: Grandmaster (2009)

Peak rating: 2783 (June 2017)

FIDE rating: 2769 (March 2018)

Ranking: No. 9 (January 2018)

Peak ranking: No. 7 (September 2015)

So suffers another loss, falls to Russian

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So’s bid to gain a crack at reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen received another major blow after falling to Russian Alexander Grischuk in 44 moves of a Ruy Lopez in the second round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Berlin, Germany Sunday night.

A day after falling to United States teammate Fabiano Caruana, the Cavite-borne, Minnetonka, Minnesota-based So sustained another harrowing setback, this time far more worse than the first one as he was punished for passive opening play by Grischuk.

It was the first point for Grischuk while sending So slipping at the bottom with nothing to show.

Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik, Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Caruana remained in a three-way tie at the helm with 1.5 points after splitting the point with yet another Russian Sergey Karjakin, Armenian Levon Aronian and Chinese Ding Liren, respectively.

Alexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was Russian champion in 2009. He is also a three-time World Blitz Chess Champion. He has competed at three Candidate’s Tournaments in 2007, 2011, and 2013, and qualified for 2018. Wikipedia

Born: 31 October 1983 (age 34), Moscow, Russia

Peak rating: 2810 (December 2014)

Peak ranking: No. 3 (May 2014)

Title: Grandmaster (2000)

FIDE rating: 2767 (March 2018)

Ranking: No. 12 (January 2018)

Image result for Russian Alexander Grischuk

Alexander Grischuk – Chess player

So fell in a bind early and dropped a piece without compensation as early as the 24th move but plodded on hopping for a miracle.

Grischuk made sure it didn’t come as methodically converted the overwhelming advantage into a full point.

When the end came, So was about to lose his queen before he finally resigned.

There is a chance So could spring back to life if he could find a way to string together a flurry of wins. This as there are still 12 games to go in this tournament, which stakes one slot to the World Championship match against Carlsen this November in London. /Joey Villar (philstar.com) – March 12, 2018 – 4:17pm

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