by Carlos Alberto Colodro I like it! | 6 Comments
10/20/2021 – Wesley So beat both Fabiano Caruana and Sam Sevian in the playoffs of the 2021 US Championship to win the national title for a third time, since his transfer to the United States in 2014. A hard-fought tournament saw the three players sharing first place on 6½ points after 11 rounds. A round robin with a rapid time control took place on Tuesday to decide the winner of the national championship. | Photos: Lennart Ootes
ChessBase 16 – Mega package Edition 2021
Your key to fresh ideas, precise analyses and targeted training!
Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.
Still no ChessBase Account?LEARN MORE >My Games – Access your games from everywhere. Store your games, training material and opening repertoire in the cloud. Annotate, analyze and share.ONLINE SHOP
FAT FRITZ 2 SE
Fat Fritz 2.0 is the successor to the revolutionary Fat Fritz, which was based on the famous AlphaZero algorithms. This new version takes chess analysis to the next level and is a must for players of all skill levels.
€99.90
A third US title for So
Wesley So defended his US Championship title on Tuesday, after beating both Fabiano Caruana and Sam Sevian in rapid playoffs. The Filipino-born grandmaster had won the 2020 event, which took place online, and a similar 12-player round robin back in 2017 — So also won that tournament in playoffs, as he beat Alexander Onischuk in a two-game rapid match that followed the two players tying for first place on 7/11 points in the classical event.
At 28, So is a force to be reckoned with at the very top of the chess elite. Currently ranked sixth in the world, he was one of two players to finish the tournament without a loss — Leinier Dominguez finished undefeated, in shared 4th-6th place, a half point behind the winners. The now 3-time national champion capped a typical sturdy performance with back-to-back wins in the playoffs, which were played with a 10-minute time control (and a 2-second delay).
In the post-game interview, So thanked Sam Shankland for saving a difficult draw against Caruana on Monday. Had Caruana won, he would have incredibly come back from a supbar early performance to win the event after scoring three consecutive victories — but it was not meant to be for the rating favourite.
Meanwhile, 1.b3 has also found its way into the practice of today’s world elite, and now finally a modern top ten player has taken on the subject for ChessBase: none other than Grandmaster Wesley So!
Caruana also had a better position in the first playoff game against So. The eventual champion later confessed:
The thing in this game is that I was playing with no pressure. I didn’t expect this playoff, so I was just playing fast, playing chess — if chances come, good; if I lose, that’s fine too.
So emphasized how important winning the national championship is for him:
I remember 2017, I really wanted to win my first US Championship because it was getting more and more difficult. […] Now this is my third title, and it’s huge. I feel that the US Championship is a tournament we have to play every single year, and winning the title is huge, it’s even more important than the money.
Playoffs
The rating favourites kicked off the three-player round robin, with Caruana getting the white pieces. The world number two got a positional advantage, and found the right way to break through on move 33.Caruana vs. So
The forcing line starting with 33.Nc6+ bxc6 34.bxc6 leaves Black struggling to deal with his opponent’s passer after 34…Bxc6 35.dxc6 Kd8
As the commentators noted, Caruana here needed to play actively to leave his opponent without counterplay or chances to fight in a technical endgame — thus, 36.Rb1 would have been the best alternative, while after 36.Nd5 Nxd5 37.exd5 White is still better, but will need to find precise moves to convert his advantage with little time on the clock.
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
So put up stiff resistance, and soon stabilized the position. Caruana could not switch gears and ended up losing the game.
.jpg)
Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
However, as he has proven repeatedly throughout the event, the Italo-American star is a fighter at heart. After that painful loss, Caruana beat Sevian, keeping his chances alive. Sevian needed to beat So to take the playoffs to the blitz section. The youngster had the black pieces, and opted for a King’s Indian Defence.So vs. Sevian
Sevian’s risky approach quickly backfired, though, as So played active, natural moves and got a clear edge early in the game. White was fully in control after 15.Nxd4 exd4 16.Bc4, creating deadly threats while Black’s queenside is seriously underdeveloped.
So scored a 33-move win to clinch his third US Championship title.
