So finally finds winning touch, finishes No. 3

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So saved the best for last as he downed former world champion Vishwanathan Anand of India in 33 moves of Giuoco Piano to salvage a share of third with two others at the end of the London Chess Classic in London Monday night.

After drawing his first eight games, So finally found the winning touch as he outplayed Anand, who reigned as world titlist from 2000 to 2002, in the middlegame, won a pawn and was set to snatch another one had the latter not resigned.

The Cavite-born, Minnetonka, Minnesota-based So thus finished at No. 3 alongside French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who drew with Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen, who bested 2017 World Cup winner Levon Aronian of Armenia, with five points apiece.

Vachier-Lagrave ended up clinching third after emerging with the highest tiebreak with 23.75 as against So’s 23.5 and Carlsen’s 21.75.

Fabiano Caruana, So’s United States’ teammate, turned back Englishman Michael Adams in the ninth round and then ousted Nepomniachtchi in their four-game tiebreaker playoff match, 2.5-1.5, to clinch the crown.

The solid finish should be a boost to So’s campaign as he primes up for the Candidates Tournament set from March 10-28 next year in Berlin, Germany where the winner will challenge Carlsen for the world title.

So final tournament before Berlin is the Tata Steel Master slated from January 13 to 28 in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, where he will defend his crown.