Wesley So wins U.S. Championship 2020

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
10/30/2020 – By scoring two quick draws on the last day of competition, Wesley So secured first place at the 2020 U.S. Championship. The Filipino-born grandmaster had a great run from start to finish and took home the $40,000 first prize after obtaining a remarkable 9/11 score. Jeffery Xiong also had a great performance, finishing in sole second place on 8½, while Ray Robson took third place after collecting 7½ points.
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“You can’t really compare anybody to Fischer”

Wesley So truly dominated the 2020 edition of the U.S. Championship, played online with a rapid time control due to the pandemic. Commentators and fans started comparing his performance with Bobby Fischer’s dominant performances in the 1960s, including his 11-0 run in 1963/64. So himself thought this comparison was a bit exaggerated:

The most important thing is to win the title, but I don’t think you can really compare anybody to Fischer. I have high respect for him. He is one of the greatest chess players who ever lived.

Nevertheless, the fact that Fischer and So are the only players to score 9 or more points in an 11-round U.S. Championship illustrates how strong So’s performance actually was.

The undefeated run of So allowed him to win the event with two rather quick draws on Thursday. First, he agreed to a 30-move draw with Ray Robson, after following 19 moves of a Caruana v Aronian game from 2018. And then came the eventual champion’s last rival, none other than Hikaru Nakamura. So commented:

I’d like to thank Hikaru for his gentlemanship and sportsmanship in the last game. Obviously he still could have spoiled my tournament.

Nakamura and So played the Berlin Defence a theoretical line of the Classical Nimzo-Indian and agreed to end the game peacefully after merely 5 minutes. The contenders followed a line they had explored in a previous direct encounter, played at the 2018 U.S. Championship.

This was So’s second win in the national championship since changing federations. He had won the event back in 2017, when he defeated Alexander Onischuk in a playoff.

US Championship 2020

Xiong clinches second place

After drawing So, Robson was still tied in second place with Jeffery Xiong, who could not defeat Aleksander Lenderman from a superior — yet tricky — position in round 10. Xiong, however, went on to beat Alejandro Ramirez in the final round:

 
Ramirez vs. Xiong
Position after 37...Ra8

Ramirez simply blundered a piece with 38.Kd3, allowing 38...g5, and White resigned.

Meanwhile, Robson lost with black against Lenderman, which meant Xiong finished in clear second place a half point behind the winner and a full point ahead of his young rival. Robson’s performance was also commendable though, and was even described by So as “almost the tournament of his life”. In fact, Robson ended the event 1½ points ahead of Leinier Dominguez — it was practically a three-horse race atop the standings during the second half of the tournament.

For Xiong it was a bit disappointing to finish second with such a great performance, and shortly after having got second place at the U.S. Junior Championship, when John Burke defeated him in the Armageddon playoff.

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Rd1+ 9.Nc3 Ke8 10.h3 h5 11.Ne2 b6 12.Bg5 c5 13.Nc3 Bb7 14.Rad1 Bxf3 15.gxf3 c6 16.f4 Be7 17.Ne4 Rd8 18.Rxd8+ Bxd8 ½-½ (58) Dominguez Perez,L (2758)-Nakamura,H (2736) Lichess.org INT 2020 9...Ke8 10.Nc3 Ne7 10...Be7 is the hot move. Played by Wesley So in May 2020. 11.a4 C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0-0 Nxe4. Bg4 12.a5
12...Ng6N Predecessor: 12...Bxf3 13.gxf3 Nf5 14.Ne4 Be7 15.Be3 h5 16.Rd3 h4 17.Rb3 Nxe3 18.fxe3 Rb8 19.Kf2 f5 20.exf6 gxf6 21.h3 Kf7 22.f4 f5 23.Nd2 Rhd8 24.Nf3 Bf6 25.Rb4 Rd5 ½-½ (25) Sjugirov,S (2675)-Lysyj,I (2594) Cheliabinsk 2020 13.Ra4 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Be7 15.f4 f5 16.exf6 Bxf6 17.Ne4 Rd8 18.Rxd8+ 18.Re1 seems wilder. Be7 19.b3 Nh4 20.Ng5 Kd7 21.Kf1 18...Kxd8 19.Be3 b6 20.axb6 axb6 21.f5 Ne7! 22.Ra8+ Nc8 23.Kg2 Bxb2 24.c3! Re8 25.Kf3 25.f6!? Rxe4 26.f7= 25...Kd7 26.f6 Nd6 27.Rxe8 Kxe8 28.fxg7=       Endgame KBN-KBN Kf7 29.Bd4 Nxe4 30.Kxe4 KB-KB c5 31.Be5
Black must now prevent Kd5. 31...b5 32.Kd3! b4 33.f4 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 bxc3 35.Kxc3 Kxg7 K3P-KPP 36.Kc4 Kf6
Threatens to win with ...Kf5. 37.Kxc5 KPP-KPP Kf5 38.Kc6 Kxf4 39.Kxc7 KP-KP h5 40.Kd6 Kf3 41.h4 Kg4 42.Ke5 Kxh4 ( -> ...Kg3). KP-K 43.Kf4 Kh3 44.Kf3 The position is equal. h4 45.Kf2 Kh2 46.Kf1 h3 47.Kf2 Kh1 48.Kf1 h2 48...Kh2!? 49.Kf2 Av CentiPawn Loss W=3357/B=-132. Weighted=4008/-89 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Dominguez Perez,L2758Nakamura,H2736½–½2020C67USA-ch 20201.1
Sevian,S2660Swiercz,D2649½–½2020B33USA-ch 20201.2
Moradiabadi,E2555Shankland,S2691½–½2020A48USA-ch 20201.3
Xiong,J2709Liang,A25921–02020A48USA-ch 20201.4
Robson,R2673Ramirez,A2567½–½2020B46USA-ch 20201.5
So,W2770Lenderman,A26341–02020C41USA-ch 20201.6
Nakamura,H2736Lenderman,A2634½–½2020B10USA-ch 20202.1
Ramirez,A2567So,W27700–12020B92USA-ch 20202.2
Liang,A2592Robson,R26730–12020B10USA-ch 20202.3
Shankland,S2691Xiong,J2709½–½2020D23USA-ch 20202.4
Swiercz,D2649Moradiabadi,E2555½–½2020C11USA-ch 20202.5
Dominguez Perez,L2758Sevian,S26600–12020A20USA-ch 20202.6
Sevian,S2660Nakamura,H2736½–½2020C67USA-ch 20203.1
Moradiabadi,E2555Dominguez Perez,L2758½–½2020D02USA-ch 20203.2
Xiong,J2709Swiercz,D26491–02020B33USA-ch 20203.3
Robson,R2673Shankland,S26911–02020B67USA-ch 20203.4
So,W2770Liang,A25921–02020B12USA-ch 20203.5
Lenderman,A2634Ramirez,A2567½–½2020D15USA-ch 20203.6
Nakamura,H2736Ramirez,A25671–02020B46USA-ch 20204.1
Liang,A2592Lenderman,A2634½–½2020A39USA-ch 20204.2
Shankland,S2691So,W27700–12020E25USA-ch 20204.3
Swiercz,D2649Robson,R26730–12020E94USA-ch 20204.4
Dominguez Perez,L2758Xiong,J27090–12020A30USA-ch 20204.5
Sevian,S2660Moradiabadi,E2555½–½2020C67USA-ch 20204.6
Moradiabadi,E2555Nakamura,H2736½–½2020E12USA-ch 20205.1
Xiong,J2709Sevian,S2660½–½2020A20USA-ch 20205.2
Robson,R2673Dominguez Perez,L2758½–½2020C67USA-ch 20205.3
So,W2770Swiercz,D26491–02020D85USA-ch 20205.4
Lenderman,A2634Shankland,S26910–12020E60USA-ch 20205.5
Ramirez,A2567Liang,A25920–12020B10USA-ch 20205.6
Nakamura,H2736Liang,A25920–12020B18USA-ch 20206.1
Shankland,S2691Ramirez,A25671–02020D12USA-ch 20206.2
Swiercz,D2649Lenderman,A26341–02020A40USA-ch 20206.3
Dominguez Perez,L2758So,W2770½–½2020C67USA-ch 20206.4
Sevian,S2660Robson,R26730–12020E73USA-ch 20206.5
Moradiabadi,E2555Xiong,J27090–12020A48USA-ch 20206.6
Xiong,J2709Nakamura,H27361–02020B08USA-ch 20207.1
Robson,R2673Moradiabadi,E25551–02020C11USA-ch 20207.2
So,W2770Sevian,S2660½–½2020C83USA-ch 20207.3
Lenderman,A2634Dominguez Perez,L27580–12020A08USA-ch 20207.4
Ramirez,A2567Swiercz,D2649½–½2020B10USA-ch 20207.5
Liang,A2592Shankland,S26910–12020A05USA-ch 20207.6
Nakamura,H2736Shankland,S26911–02020A00USA-ch 20208.1
Swiercz,D2649Liang,A25920–12020B10USA-ch 20208.2
Dominguez Perez,L2758Ramirez,A25671–02020D12USA-ch 20208.3
Sevian,S2660Lenderman,A2634½–½2020C10USA-ch 20208.4
Moradiabadi,E2555So,W27700–12020A13USA-ch 20208.5
Xiong,J2709Robson,R26731–02020C45USA-ch 20208.6
Robson,R2673Nakamura,H27361–02020B42USA-ch 20209.1
So,W2770Xiong,J27091–02020B33USA-ch 20209.2
Lenderman,A2634Moradiabadi,E25551–02020A01USA-ch 20209.3
Ramirez,A2567Sevian,S26601–02020C77USA-ch 20209.4
Liang,A2592Dominguez Perez,L2758½–½2020A08USA-ch 20209.5
Shankland,S2691Swiercz,D2649½–½2020B12USA-ch 20209.6
Nakamura,H2736Swiercz,D2649½–½2020A00USA-ch 202010.1
Dominguez Perez,L2758Shankland,S2691½–½2020D85USA-ch 202010.2
Sevian,S2660Liang,A2592½–½2020B13USA-ch 202010.3
Moradiabadi,E2555Ramirez,A2567½–½2020D12USA-ch 202010.4
Xiong,J2709Lenderman,A2634½–½2020D26USA-ch 202010.5
Robson,R2673So,W2770½–½2020C65USA-ch 202010.6
So,W2770Nakamura,H2736½–½2020E32USA-ch 202011.1
Lenderman,A2634Robson,R26731–02020E62USA-ch 202011.2
Ramirez,A2567Xiong,J27090–12020B50USA-ch 202011.3
Liang,A2592Moradiabadi,E25551–02020C53USA-ch 202011.4
Shankland,S2691Sevian,S2660½–½2020A20USA-ch 202011.5
Swiercz,D2649Dominguez Perez,L27580–12020C67USA-ch 202011.6

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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.

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