Carlsen rules Qatar tilt as So tumbles to 18th

Norwegian chess player, and current World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS

World champion Magnus Carlsen tamed defending champion Yu Yangyi twice in their blitz playoff late Tuesday to win the Qatar Masters Open in Doha.

The Chinese Grandmaster caught up with Carlsen, pride of Norway, at 7.0 points after subduing GM Wesley So with after 77 moves of the Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation in the ninth and final round.

Carlsen settled for a draw with Russian GM Vladimir Kramnik, who wound up third at 6.5 points with countrymen GM Sergey Karjakin, Sanan Sjugirov and Chinese GM Ni Hua.

Karjakin, Sjugirov and Ni landed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, after the tiebreak was applied.

With the loss, the Cavite-born So, now representing the United States, remained at 5.5 and tumbled from fourth to 18th in the final standing.

The 22-year-old So also saw his live Elo rating dropped to 2773.2, although he kept 10th spot in the world.

Carlsen pocketed the top purse of $27,000 in the $130,000 tournament that lured 132 elite players. Roy Luarca