CHESS: GM Wesley So wins Paris Rapid & Blitz chess tournament
Philippine-born chess grandmaster Wesley So won the Paris Rapid & Blitz tournament, the second stage of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT), with a round to spare.
So totaled 24.5 points in the 5-day tournament racking up 12 points in the rapid round and 12.5 points in the double-round robin blitz of the 10-player field.
So was also undefeated on the final day of the blitz by eking out wins against Alireza Firouzja, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian and Ian Nepomniachtchi.
The American bagged 13 GCT points for the win to overtake the idle Azerbaijani GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov at the top of the standings. So has a total 21.3 points to Mamedyarov’s 13 points after he won the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest, Romania. So finished tied for second in the first leg.
So is also $37,500 richer for winning the Paris event. He also won $45,000 as runner up in Romania.
So rose to third to the live blitz rating after his triumph trailing only chess speed demons Hikaru Nakamura and world champion Magnus Carlsen.
The tour swings next to Croatia for the third leg of the $1.275 million 5-event tour.
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