Wesley So triumphs at the Paris Rapid & Blitz Tournament

A two-horse race

Wesley So’s triumph at the second event of this year’s Grand Chess Tour was nothing short of impressive. Just to paint a picture of how imposing the American was in Paris, let us note that two years ago, in the previous edition of the event, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave got tournament victory with a 21/36 score, while this year, So finished three points clear of second-placed Ian Nepomniachtchi with 24½ points. The man from Bacoor won 11 games, drew 15 and only lost once across the five days of competition.

Notwithstanding, Nepo prevented his colleague from simply wiping out the field. The World Championship challenger entered day 5 a half point behind the American, and managed to keep up with the eventual tournament winner’s pace until round 14 — in the next two rounds, So won twice in a row while Nepo collected two half points, thus widening the gap to 1½ points with two rounds to go.

The excellent form So had consistently shown in the online series organized by the Play Magnus Group carried over to the over-the-board event in Paris. Unlike his performances in the online events, this triumph impacted his ratings — he climbed 12 places in the live rapid list and is currently placed third in the blitz ranking. 

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also had strong showings in the City of Light, as they shared third place with 18/36 points each. Consistency was lacking for both players, though, with Firouzja making up for a subpar performance in the rapid section by being the second top scorer in the blitz.

The third event of the Tour is scheduled to kick off two weeks from now in Croatia, with living legends Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand included in a star-filled lineup.

My Secret Weapon: 1.b3

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!

Click to enlarge

Three of the five wins So scored on Tuesday were obtained in consecutive rounds. The streak started in round 14, when the American grandmaster defeated Levon Aronian (shared 5th place, with 17½/36) from the white side of a Ragozin Defence.

The players entered a theoretical line in which White gives up material to get the initiative. A couple of inaccuracies by Aronian led to a surprisingly quick defeat. In the diagrammed position, So lifted his rook with 21.Rd3, and Black already needs to be extremely careful. The game continued 21...Rfe8 22.Rg3+ Kf8 (22.Kh8 is also hopeless, due to 22...Rh3) 23.Qd6+ Re7

The Ragozin Defense

The Ragozin is being played by every top grandmaster in the world - it is time you also add it to your repertoire to get interesting and dynamic positions against 1. d4!
GM Alejandro Ramirez analyses every single move that White can play once the Ragozin is reached, but due to several transpositional possibilities he always emphasises strategic goals to keep in mind.

24.Re1 Re8 25.Rge3, pinning and winning! Aronian resigned.

Levon Aronian beat Vladimir Kramnik in round 12 | Photo: Lennart Ootes

So won three in a row in rounds 14-16, which served to widen the gap with Nepo, who scored back-to-back victories in rounds 13 and 14. Facing Vachier-Lagrave with black, the Russian employed the French Defence to beat the local hero.

A Classical Guide to the French Defence

This DVD gives you the key to start out with the French Defence. GM Yannick Pelletier is a specialist of this opening, and believes that the most efficient way to understand its ideas, plans, and typical structures is to study classical lines.

After a long struggle, Nepo had a slight advantage in a materially balanced knight endgame. In the above position, with Black to play, the Russian could not simply go for the a2-pawn with 60...Nc3 due to 61.Kd3 Nxa2 62.Nxa2 Kxa2 63.Kc2 and the black monarch is stuck in the corner.

Nepo did not give up trying, though, and transferred his knight to the other flank, looking to provoke a mistake by his opponent. His stubbornness paid off, as MVL faltered on move 64. The 70-move win not only showcased Nepo’s fighting spirit, but also his excellent endgame technique — note that the clock was dangerously ticking down in the 5-minute encounter (with 2-second increments).

Ian Nepomniachtchi about to win a tricky knight endgame | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Good tactical awareness in an endgame also gave Firouzja a full point in his game from the penultimate round against Nepo.

Calculation Training

This DVD emphasizes the importance of training your calculation skills. Dutch IM Robert Ris made a selection of training material which he uses in lessons with students ranging from 1400 to 2400.

Already in a better position, the youngster found 40.Rxh7+ to enter a winning bishop vs. knight ending after 40...Kxh7 41.Bd3+ Kg7 42.Bxc2 Nxc6.

Nine moves later, Nepo resigned, granting So tournament victory with a round to spare.

Alireza Firouzja on his way to the playing venue on Monday | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Final standings - Rapid

Final standings - Blitz

Links

• Official site