KRISTEL SATUMBAGA

Grandmaster Wesley So tried to extract a win in the deciding game of the second set but world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen proved too hot to handle and settled for a runner-up finish in the 2023 Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto, Canada recently.

Like in the four-game first set, So suffered a 2.5-1.5 defeat to long-time rival in the finale that drew big attention from even the younger generation.

Playing with the white pieces, So lost the opening game before the Cavite-born American won the second game after 60 moves of intense and exciting skirmishes.

Game three ended in a draw, thus requiring a a do-or-die match which Carlsen eventually won as he took full advantage of his knowledge of the Semi-Tarrasch Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined.

The title worth $200,000 was the third for Carlsen having ruled the Airthings Masters, Aimchess Rapid and the Julius Baer Generation Cup in this year’s Champions Chess Tour season.

“I’m very, very happy with the way the event ended,” said Carlsen, who earned an additional $8,000 bonus for winning eight matches in total.

So rued missing several winning lines but still congratulated his rival.

“Really disappointed with the way I played (today). It’s not how I wanted to end. Big congrats to Magnus Carlsen, do you ever lose?” So wrote on social media afterwards.

So went home with the $100,000 (around P5.5 million) runner-up purse.