NextSharkNextShark.com

US’ Wesley So defeats chess world champ Magnus Carlsen to win Norway Tournament blitz event

US’ Wesley So defeats chess world champ Magnus Carlsen to win Norway Tournament blitz event

Reigning U.S. chess champion Wesley So recently won the blitz event of the 10th Norway Chess Tournament in style.

June 1, 2022
SHARE
Reigning U.S. chess champion Wesley So recently won the blitz event of the 10th Norway Chess Tournament in style, defeating world champion Magnus Carlsen.
The Filipino American chess grandmaster recovered from a rocky start, having been beaten by China’s Wang Hao in the event’s opening round.
After settling draws against Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and India’s five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, So secured five successive wins, including one against Carlsen, to win the blitz event on Monday.
Although the single-round robin event involves no prize money, it rewards its top five finishers with increased opportunities to play white in the main tournament.
The 10th Norway Chess Tournament’s main event offers 750,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately $80,000) to the winner.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Before beating Carlsen, So defeated France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Norway’s Aryan Tar. He then went on to defeat Bulgaria’s 2005 world champion Veselin Topalov and Azerbaijan’s Teimour Radjabov. He finished the event with 6.5 points after ending his game with the Netherlands’ Anish Giri in a draw.
In anticipation of the tournament’s main event, So shared that he is looking forward to playing Carlsen again.
“Magnus has been the best player for 10 years now, there is nobody close,” So said. “It’s a bit embarrassing for the rest of us that his rating is so much higher than the rest.”
So, who became the youngest player to pass a 2600 skill rating at age 14 in October 2008, is currently ranked sixth in the FIDE (International Chess Federation) Standard.
Born in the Philippines, So became a U.S. citizen in 2021 to represent the U.S. at international competitions.
“I want to give back to a country that has been so good to me,” So told the U.S. Chess Federation last year. “From the moment I landed here, I was encouraged and enabled to become better than I was. I like this attitude and the tremendous generosity of American culture.”
 
Featured Image via chess24.5
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Ryan General

      Ryan General is a Senior Reporter for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.