Wesley So is the winner of the third leg of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022
The FIDE Grand Prix Series 2022 came to an end with Wesley So winning the third leg in Berlin by beating Hikaru Nakamura in the finals tiebreaks with a 1.5-0.5 score.
After two quick draws in the classical games of the Grand Prix finals, the two GMs faced each other in the tiebreaks. “Once I qualified, the tournament was over for me” Nakamura stated after the 30 minutes draw on Game 2 of the finals.
The first game of the tiebreaks was an adventurous one though. Both the players had great chances with Nakamura sacrificing a knight but after a lot of evaluation swings and a lot of back and forth in the time scramble, the game ended in a draw.
The second game was the decisive one, which determined the winner of the third leg. The game started with the Ruy Lopez and So gained an early advantage in the position. Eventually, he managed to cash out his advantage with Nakamura resigning after a fatal blunder. Nakamura nevertheless won the series overall and qualified for the 2022 Candidates along with Richard Rapport.
