US Chess Champion Wesley So defeated Hikaru Nakamura in tiebreaks to win the final event of the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix and finish in 3rd place in the overall standings. Wesley needed just two rapid games to clinch the title, with the rollercoaster first game ending in a draw before Hikaru blundered a piece in a difficult position in the second. Hikaru noted he’d lost all interest in the event since achieving the main goal of qualifying for the Candidates Tournament, while Wesley talked about his World Championship chances after Magnus retires.
You can replay all the knockout games from the final Berlin Grand Prix using the selector below.
And here’s the final day’s commentary from Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson.
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If the first classical game of the So-Nakamura final in Berlin left some doubts as to whether either of the players intended to play a real game, the 2nd was as cynical a grandmaster draw as you’ll ever witness. It wasn’t so much about the result, but the unnecessary long pauses that occurred, presumably with the goal of making things look slightly less brazen.
In 14 moves it was over, with the players having made a draw in the Berlin that because infamous in online chess but has since been seen many times “over-the-board” as well.
Hikaru put it down to the format, nothing that after he qualified for the Candidates Tournament he’d lost all interest and was only aiming to avoid losing any classical games.
It’s on World Chess and FIDE to have a better format. I think it’s that simple, because the fact is if you look at the first event, for example, where I played with Levon, there was always a lot of tension, there were no quick draws… By the semi-finals [of the latest event], to be honest, I wasn’t even really studying chess, because there’s nothing to do. I just show up and try to make some draws, because the main thing everybody’s playing for is to qualify.
The tiebreaks, however, guaranteed a decisive result, and it went Wesley So’s way, as he drew the first rapid game and won the second.
The first tiebreak game saw Hikaru open with the somewhat offbeat 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4, but while Wesley admitted to being surprised he was also winning by move 13! The advantage mainly grew… until move 26.
26.Rbd8! would have consolidated Black’s advantage, but 26…Be2? proved a serious mistake, and after 27.Rd2 the initiative swung White’s direction. Wesley commented:
I was winning, then I made a blunder, I missed this Qe1 idea after Rd2, and then after that I looked at my clock, I had two minutes, then the knights came on d6 and f5 and it was anyone’s game.
In fact after 30.Qe1 Kh7 Hikaru was able to land a powerful blow.
31.Nxg7! was winning, but after 31…Kxg7 it should have been followed up with 32.Nf5+!, when 32…Kg6 is met by 33.Rd6! and if Black takes the piece he gets checkmated. Instead after 32.Qxe5 Qb8! Wesley continued to find precise defensive moves to hold a draw.
Hikaru had already wrapped up the Candidates spot and won the overall Grand Prix series | photo: World Chess
The 2nd game was a Berlin, and although not the quick draw we saw in the second classical game, it could have ended abruptly. Wesley was saved by the regulations!
On move 23 he offered me a draw in an equal position, and I probably would have accepted, but fortunately there’s this 30-move no-draw-offer rule, so I was quite lucky in the end.
When Wesley’s knight made it to f6, Hikaru’s rook was suddenly short of squares, and its awkward position meant that what Hikaru called “this terrible move” 32…c6? was a losing blunder.
Wesley almost let his chance slip.
I didn’t even spot the winning move for a minute, and when I spotted it I thought c6 was brilliant at first, because it’s threatening Bd8, and then I was going to play f4, and then I was like, Be5 just wins a piece, that’s crazy!
33.Bxe5! can’t be met by 33…Rxe5 due to 34.Nd7+, after which White has a choice of pieces to capture. But 33…dxe5 in the game couldn’t save things either, since it was met by 34.d6! Re6 35.Nd7+ and the bishop on b6 is lost.
So and Nakamura discussed the game afterwards | photo: World Chess
Almost another 30 moves were played, but you didn’t need to have the technique of Wesley So to convert the extra piece into a win.
Gold for Wesley So | photo: World Chess
For Wesley it was a bitter-sweet moment. “I’m very happy to win this tournament, I haven’t won anything in a long time,” he said, but he’d finished 3rd overall in the Grand Prix, when only the top two qualified to the Candidates.
He pointed out that he’d been unlucky to miss out on the semi-finals in the first Grand Prix, since he’d scored +2, and was close to +3, but he lost in tiebreaks against Leinier Dominguez.
Wesley talked about his own experience of the Candidates:
I’m only 28, so I’m hoping that next year, or a couple of years from now, I get the chance to play in the Candidates. I think it’s nice to play in the Candidates, but the last time I played I was very inexperienced and I placed second to last, and so I think if you qualify for the Candidates you have to be ready to fight for first place, because if you play and you just finish 7th or 8th place it’s quite pointless.
He went further when asked about Magnus Carlsen’s statement that he might not play another World Championship match, unless it was against Alireza Firouzja.
That’s a very weird statement. He’s got a lot of money, obviously, but players make the most money out of a World Championship match. If you get the right sponsors you can make millions, but I don’t know. It’s a very weird statement. Magnus is in the prime of his career. I was actually thinking the other day, maybe if Magnus is serious about that, then maybe in a couple of years, a few years from now, then I’ll be ready to qualify to play in the Candidates, then if I win it I play for the World Championship match and Magnus will be retired, so that’s my plan!
You have to imagine that Magnus might also be tempted to play a match against Hikaru Nakamura if his old rival did win the Candidates. In terms of a more immediate rivalry Magnus is back to being the no. 1 on the rapid rating list after Hikaru lost to Wesley. Is Nakamura bothered?
At the end of the day there’s one rating that matters most, that’s the classical chess rating, not the rapid and blitz rating, and at this point there’s nothing to play for.
The Candidates Tournament is going to be formidable, with the line-up looking as follows after the Grand Prix.
Ding Liren looks sure to take the remaining spot, since he’s now rated around 2810 and world no. 2, while he’s grinding out all the required games he needs.
After demolishing a Hangzhou Asian Games qualifier with 10.5/12, he’s currently playing a 6-game match against Wei Yi.
The remaining piece in the puzzle will be another Asian Games qualifier, though you’d have thought by now it might be fairly clear that Ding should play!
The chances of Hikaru winning the Candidates must be relatively low, but he pointed out that he rated his chances of qualifying through the FIDE Grand Prix at 10-15% before the event began. Write the US star off at your peril!
Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So took silver and gold in Berlin | photo: World Chess
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