Sinquefield Cup: So beats Nepo, Firouzja escapes against Gukesh

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
8/23/2024 – Wesley So joined Alireza Firouzja in the lead of the Sinquefield Cup after beating former co-leader Ian Nepomniachtchi in Thursday's fourth round. So grabbed the full point by converting a minute advantage into a win in a pure rook endgame. Meanwhile, D Gukesh played a few astonishing moves to get an advantage out of a Berlin Defence against Firouzja - the French representative, however, managed to escape with a draw. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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So converts small advantage

True to his style, Wesley So collected his first win at the 2024 Sinquefield Cup by converting a small advantage into a win in his game with white against Ian Nepomniachtchi. So got an extra pawn in a rook ending evaluated as almost completely equal by the engines, and showed great technique to outplay Nepo, who finished the game with more than 90 minutes left on his clock.

The win allowed So to join Alireza Firouzja in the lead. Co-leader Firouzja escaped with a draw for a second day in a row - playing black against D Gukesh, he survived in an endgame with a pair of rooks against a rook, a bishop and two extra pawns (one of them was a dangerous outside passer). The game was a Berlin Defence in which Gukesh found a couple of astonishing tactical recourses to get the upper hand in the middlegame.

After 4 rounds, So and Firouzja have +1 scores, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Anish Giri have -1 scores. The remaining 6 players have collected 2/4 points.

Round 4 results

Alireza Firouzja

A brilliant photograph of co-leader Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Lennart Ootes

So 1 - 0 Nepomniachtchi

Analysis by Shahid Ahmed

Nepomniachtchi needed to start moving his kingside pawns, which was his only saving grace in this position. The d-pawn will eventually get promoted, as Black has no way of stopping it.

36...f5 37.gxf5 gxf5 38.Rh4 Ra1 is one of the ways things could have gone better for Black.

Instead, there followed 36...Kf6 37.h4 Ra1 38.Kd3 Ra2 39.f3 Ra3+ 40.Kc4 Rxf3 41.d5 and White won the game in the next few moves.

Wesley So, Ian Nepomniachtchi

Wesley So v. Ian Nepomniachtchi | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Gukesh ½ - ½ Firouzja

Analysis by Shahid Ahmed

Firouzja was the only player who beat Gukesh at the 2024 Candidates Tournament. The world number 9 opted for the Berlin Defence in the Ruy Lopez. Gukesh found a way to make things interesting by sacrificing an exchange

23.Rd6+!? cxd6 24.exd6+ Kd5 25.Re5+ Kc6 26.Rxe7 f6 27.Rxg7 Rhg8 White's lack of material did not yield anything decisive immediately.

The following endgame position was reached after Black's 38th move.

Gukesh could have spiced things up further with 39.Rxc5+! Kxc5 40.Ba3+ Kd5 41.Bxf8.

However, the outcome quite possibly would not have changed. He opted for the safer 39.g3 Rh2 40.Bg7 Rf7 41.gxf4 and the game eventually ended in a draw.

Dommaraju Gukesh, Alireza Firouzja

Two of the most talented youngsters in the chess world | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Expert analysis by GM Daniel King

Standings after round 4

All games

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Topics: Sinquefield Cup 2024, Wesley So
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.