FILE–Filipino-American chess grandmaster Wesley So. (Photo by Berit Roald / NTB Scanpix / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Wesley So is the US Chess champion for the second straight year.
So, a full-blooded Filipino who began representing the United States in 2014, topped two other grandmasters in Fabiano Caruana and Sam Sevian in a rapid playoff after sharing first place.
“I thought the tournament was pretty much over by yesterday, Fabiano almost won three games in a row. It just gave me a new breath of life that the tournament was not yet over, that I might still have some chances,” So said on chess.com.
“I just wanted to play fast today and make some good moves. Fabi plays for a win with both colors, soon I found myself in a very difficult position. Probably, in the endgame, he missed a win somewhere. I was playing with no pressure: I did not expect this playoff, so I was just playing chess: if chances come, good; if I lose, that’s fine,” he added.
The 28-year-old So pocketed $50,000 in prize money.
So now has three US Chess titles under his belt after capturing his first in 2017.