Wesley So Sacrifices All To Advance Into Grand Final And Challenge Carlsen

The Grand Final of the Champions Chess Tour Aimchess Rapid 2023 will be between GM Wesley So and GM Magnus Carlsen after the American emerged victorious out of the Losers Bracket.

In a sacrifice-loaded match vs. GM Eduardo Iturrizaga, the So flipped his opponent’s attacking energy against him. Facing GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov in a rematch, So successfully stunted the creative prodigy’s attempts at dynamic play.

Though both Iturrizaga and Abdusattorov showed up at the board ready with creative ideas and fighting spirit, So was in phenomenal form, winning both matches without tiebreaks.

So said after: „It’s going to be tough to win 2 matches in a row… Magnus is only human, he can have an off day also from time to time. I’ve lost way too many matches against Magnus in the past so things should be different at some point. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day!“

In Division II, GM Denis Lazavik edged ahead of GM Sam Sevian in a neck-and-neck match decided in armageddon. However, Sevian surged in the Losers Bracket and will get a second chance versus Lazavik tomorrow. 

In Division III, GM Tuan Minh Le beat GM Liem Le for the chance to challenge GM Yu Yangyi for top honors.

For a more in-depth look at Thursday’s play including game analysis, highlights and reports from Division II and III, click here.