MANILA — Wesley So is now a world chess champion.
The US-based Filipino chess wizard stunned fellow super grandmaster Magnus Carlsen to win the first official global title in Fischer Random Chess Championship at the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Bærum, Norway early Sunday (Philippine Time).
So, currently world No. 6 player based on 2019 FIDE ranking, simply dominated the world No. 1 Carlsen as their series ended with So way ahead, 13.5-2.5.
In Fischer Random Chess rules, the first player to reach 12.5 points or more will clinch the series.
So was dominant in Day 1, forcing Carlsen to a draw in Game 1 before taking Game 2, both of which are slow rapid games.
Unlike the usual chess scoring system, a win in the Fischer Random Chess slow rapid game gives you three points, while a draw is worth 1.5, effectively meaning So walked away with a 4.5-1.5 lead.
In Day 2, So pulled away, scoring back-to-back slow rapid wins to open a nine-point cushion and put him within two points of winning it all.
In Day 3, So remained steady this time in the fast rapid game, where a win gives two points and a draw is worth one point.
In the first fast rapid game, So forced Carlsen to another draw, and in the following match, Carlsen was forced to resign after 29 moves as So threatened to mate him after a total domination of the eventual clincher.
So, who actually likes the Fischer Random Chess style, won USD125,000 (about PHP6.3 million) for ruling the tournament.
Unlike the standard chess game, the Fischer Random Chess game, also known as Chess960, has the first- rank pieces arranged in random form before the start of the game. (PNA)
