He’s already mastered Bobby Fischer’s preferred form of chess. Now GM Wesley So is turning in performances that some are already calling Fischeresque.
The Philippines-born So claimed his second national crown with a dominating performance at the 2020 U.S. Championship last week, staged this year as an online, all-rapid game event because of COVID-19.
Already the world champion of the Fischer Random Chess variant, So posted a score that came close to replicating the great Brooklyn star’s memorable 11-0 wipeout of the field in the 1963-1964 U.S. title tournament, posting an undefeated 9-2 score.
Remarkably, that was just barely enough to nip 20-year-old GM Jeffery Xiong of Texas by just a half-point. So, Xiong and GM Ray Robson staged a memorable three-way race for the crown, with So needing a touch-and-go Round 9 win over his rival to seize control of the event. It’s Xiong as Black who grabs the initiative in this Sicilian Sveshnikov, targeting So’s king with 19. 0-0-0 b4 20. axb4 Nxb4!?, leading to some intricate tactics on 21. Nxb4 Bxe4 22. Qxf4 Rxb4 (better was 22…Qa5! 23. Bd3 [Rg1?? Qa1+ 24. Kd2 Qxb2+ 25. Ke3 Qxc3+ and White’s position collapses] Bxh1 24. f3 Bg2) 23. Bd3! (cxb4?? Qc7+ 24. Kd2 Qc2+ wins) Bxh1 24. Qxb4 Bf3 25. Rd2 d5 26. Bxa6.
Material equality is restored when the smoke clears after 29. Qc8 Qxc8 30. Bxc8 Rxh6 31. Bb7, but Black’s pinned d-pawn is a problem and, worse, Xiong is far behind on the clock. White misses one chance for the advantage (36. Ba8!, clearing the way for the passed pawn, poses big problems for Black), and Black manages to maintain equality until one last fateful slip: 43. cxd5 Rb4+ 44. Kc3 (see diagram; with more time Xiong might have found 44…Be2! 45. d6 Bxd3 46. d7 Rd4 47. Bd5! Rxd5 48. b7 Rxd7 49. b8=Q Bg6, and Black has excellent chances of constructing an endgame fortress) Rxb6? 45. d6 Rxb7 46. d7 Rxd7 47. Rxd7, and the Black king is fatally cut off from the kingside.
After 49. Ke3 g4? (making White’s job much easier) 50. Kf4 Kc6 51. Rf7 Kd6 52. Rxf5!, Black resigns, as after 52…Bxf5 53. Kxf5 Ke7 54. Kxg4 Kf6 55. Kf4, White can always claim the opposition with a well-timed pawn move; Xiong resigned.
It’s a good bet that Xiong, who is rapidly moving up the U.S. pecking order, will have many more chances to claim the crown. The So game was his only loss, and his wins included victories over veteran GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Leinier Dominguez Perez.
The Cuban-born Dominguez Perez is ranked 14th in the world, making Xiong’s steamroller win even more impressive. In a Symmetrical English, White gets some decent early kingside pressure, but Xiong impressively mobilizes his army and counterattacks mercilessly when his opponent unwisely opens up the position.
Thus: 22. e5? (opening lines to Black’s advantage; far more prudent were lines like 22. Bc2 Bc6 23. Rf3 Qf8 24. Qxf8 Nxf3 25. Rd3, with roughly equal chances) dxe5 23. Ne4 Bc6! (ignoring the attack on the rook, White may have banked on 23…Rc7?! [Rcc8?? 24. Rxd7 Qxd7 25. Nf6] 24. fxe5 f5 25. Nf6 Rg7 26. Rf3 Bc6 27. Rh3 Nf8 28. Rg3, with a pleasant initiative) 24. Nxc5 Nxf4! 25. Rxf4 (the threat was 25…Bxg2+ 26. Kg1 Bc6+ 27. Kf2 Rg2+ 28. Ke3 Re2 mate) Bxg2+ 26. Kg1 Qxc5+, and Black has a winning attack.
It’s over on 27. Rfd4 (also losing for White is 27. Rf2 Bh3+ 28. Kh1 Qc6+ 29. Rd5 exd5 30. Qxf6+ Qxf6 31. Rxf6 Bg2+ 32. Kg1 dxc4 33. Bd1 Bf3+) Rg6! (not falling for 27…exd4?? 28. Qxf6+ Rg7 29. Qd8+, with a perpetual) 28. Qe3 exd4 29. Rxd4 Qf5 30. Rf4 Qb1+, and White resigned just ahead of 31. Kf2 Qf1 mate.
So-Xiong, U.S. Championship, October 2020
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. a3 O-O 14. h4 Bh6 15. g4 Bf4 16. Qf3 Bb7 17. g5 Re8 18. Nxf4 exf4 19. O-O-O b4 20. axb4 Nxb4 21. Nxb4 Bxe4 22. Qxf4 Rxb4 23. Bd3 Bxh1 24. Qxb4 Bf3 25. Rd2 d5 26. Bxa6 h6 27. gxh6 Re4 28. Qc5 Rxh4 29. Qc8 Qxc8 30. Bxc8 Rxh6 31. Bb7 Rh5 32. b4 Kf8 33. Kb2 Rf5 34. Kb3 Ke7 35. Ka4 g5 36. b5 Rf4+ 37. Ka5 Kd6 38. b6 Rc4 39. Rd3 Rc5+ 40. Kb4 Rc4+ 41. Kb3 Rf4 42. c4 Kc5 43. cxd5 Rb4+ 44. Kc3 Rxb6 45. d6 Rxb7 46. d7 Rxd7 47. Rxd7 f5 48. Kd3 Be4+ 49. Ke3 g4 50. Kf4 Kc6 51. Rf7 Kd6 52. Rxf5 Black resigns.
Dominguez Perez-Xiong, U.S. Championship, October 2020
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. e4 Bb4 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 d6 11. Bg5 Ne5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Kh1 Bd7 14. f4 Ng6 15. Qh5 Kh8 16. Qh6 Qd8 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Bc2 Rg8 19. Nd2 Rac8 20. Bb3 a5 21. a3 Rc5 22. e5 dxe5 23. Ne4 Bc6 24. Nxc5 Nxf4 25. Rxf4 Bxg2+ 26. Kg1 Qxc5+ 27. Rfd4 Rg6 28. Qe3 exd4 29. Rxd4 Qf5 30. Rf4 Qb1+ White resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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