Last week Wesley So was the psychologically bruised victim of a questionable refereeing decision. This week he is competing for a high prize with the world champion in the strongest tournament of 2015.
So had seemed crushed after the ninth round of the US Championship at St Louis when the arbiter defaulted him after just six moves for writing encouraging messages to himself on his score sheet. It was a bizarre red card when yellow, a time penalty, would have been appropriate.
So, who had serious family issues at the tournament, was down to a 50% total, poor from the No2 seed.
Yet after the forfeit So fought back, won his next two games at St Louis to finish third of 12 overall, then began this week’s €100,000 elite event at Shamkir, Azerbaijan, with 3.5/4 – at which stage he led the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, by half a point.
That adds up to an impressive display of mental resilience. The 21-year-old former Filipino explained that his setbacks “motivated me to work harder. I was trying to figure out why that happened, what my weaknesses are, and I tried to solve them. I decided to completely forget what anybody says and just focus on my games.”
So’s winning streak was stopped in round five when he was outplayed by the former world champion Vishy Anand while Carlsen won. The final two rounds from Shamkir can be viewed free and live with move-by-move computer commentary this weekend (11am start). So v Carlsen will be played on Saturday but Carlsen now looks set for first prize.
Carlsen is also in fine form. When the Azeri No1 Mamedyarov simplified prematurely by 10...Ne4, Norway’s world champion, 24, responded by the central pawn push 16 d5! followed by opening up the queen’s flank by 18 b4! and 20 a5! Mamedyarov could have fought on by 24...Nxb6 25 Qxb6 Qd7, but as played he had to resign in the face of 30 Rc7 which mates or wins Black’s queen.
Magnus Carlsen v Shak Mamedyarov
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 e3 g6 5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Be2 O-O 7 O-O b6 8 a4 a5 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 b3 Ne4? 11 Nxe4 dxe4 12 Nd2 Bb7 13 Ba3 f5 14 Rc1 Kh8 15 Nc4 Nd7 16 d5! Rc8 17 d6 e6 18 b4! axb4 19 Bxb4 Bd5 20 a5! bxa5 21 Bxa5 Qe8 22 Qa4 Bc6 23 Qb4 Rb8 24 Nb6 Ne5? 25 Qc5 Ba8 26 Bc3 Nd7 27 Bxg7+ Kxg7 28 Nxd7 Qxd7 29 Qe5+ 1-0
Michael Adams, the England No1, was a late replacement at Shamkir, where he is the second oldest and second lowest seeded player. Adams began badly, but then fought back with a solid draw against Carlsen.
Leaders with two rounds left are Carlsen 5.5/7, Anand 4.5, So and Fabiano Caruana 4. Michael Adams has 2.
Across the border in Armenia, the world team championship is in progress at a small resort 50 miles from the capital, Yerevan. Only two of the world top 10 are playing there as opposed to seven in Shamkir, but it is still a strong event, and the leader board after the second round had eye-catching news. Russia, perpetual gold medallists in the Soviet era, were tenth out of 10 after losing their opening matches to Ukraine and Cuba. The patriarch Mikhail Botvinnik must be spinning in his grave.
3387 The white king is at c3. To reach that position, add to the original diagram WK b3, WP c2 and BP b4. Play goes 1 c4 bxc3 en passant 2 Kxc3+ and you have it.
