Adventurous So Goes Undefeated, Leads 3-1

GM Wesley So gained a commanding two-point lead in the Chess.com Global Championship final, winning twice with white and drawing both games with black. Despite playing more adventurously than usual, sacrificing in nearly every game, So went undefeated―outplaying GM Nihal Sarin even in chaotic time scrambles he's known for. Will So continue smooth sailing or will Nihal turn the tides with a comeback?

The captivating finale continues on Monday, November 7, starting at 9 a.m. PT / 18:00 CET.

FM Mike Klein offered us a picture into how Nihal spent his moments just before the start of this incredibly important match.

How does a teenager prepare for a $200,000 chess match? You can probably guess…#Chesscomglobal @NihalSarin pic.twitter.com/APY7vqzAYZ

— Mike Klein (@ChessMike) November 6, 2022

So scored the first victory with a pristine game culminating in a vicious checkmating attack. This is our Game of the Day, annotated by GM Rafael Leitao.

So's advantage in the match grew in game two as his opponent was unable to gain winning chances with the white pieces. In fact, Black was the one who could've pressed.

In game three, Nihal switched up his opening strategy, going for the unconventional and risky Modern Defense. This choice astonishingly offered Nihal his best opportunity for victory on Sunday. At a pivotal moment during the game, So had a comfortable edge with the white pieces, yet decided to go for more, sacrificing the exchange for attacking chances. In his interview after the games, So explained his decision: “I just realized I had to sacrifice the exchange. I wasn’t sure what was exactly going on, but it looked fun!”

I wasn’t sure what was exactly going on, but it looked fun!

-GM Wesley So

This led to a wild game with So's pieces sniping at his opponent's king in the center while Nihal accumulated more material and connected passers. 

Wesley So flips the game in the time scramble and mates on the board!

Can Nihal come back from being down 2 points?#Chesscomglobal pic.twitter.com/QzYn4ewBkn

— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) November 6, 2022

Caruana summed up the source of So's success in this turbulent game: “We tend to think of Wesley So as this super accurate player who rarely gets into tough positions. But when he does get a tough position, he tends to defend incredibly well.”

Down two points, game four seemed to be a "stop the bleeding" game for Nihal, who agreed to a draw with the white pieces in just 22 moves.

FM James Canty shared his thoughts on how Nihal could make a comeback in this match tomorrow: “He needs to get back to where he’s ready to fight every game.”

He needs to get back to where he’s ready to fight every game.

-FM James Canty

All Games - Final Day 1

Final Day 1 Scoreboard

The 2022 Chess.com Global Championship (CGC) is the first Chess.com global championship cycle open to all Chess.com verified players. Players compete in official Chess.com verified events for their share of the $1,100,000 prize fund and the Chess.com Global Champion title.

Chess legends, such as GMs Viswanathan Anand, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Vladimir Kramnik, and Veselin Topalov, compete against today's best (online) players, including GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, Levon Aronian, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and more. 

Previous coverage

• • • • Nihal Shocks Giri in Armageddon, So Knocks Out Nakamura
      • Giri, So Miss Chances In Chaotic Semifinals
      • Stunning Comebacks and Decisive Matches: Nakamura, So, Nihal, Giri Victorious
      • Perfect 4-0 Day For Nakamura, Dismantles Bongcloud In CGC Finals
      • How To Watch The Chess.com Global Championship Finals
      • Underdogs Eliminate World Championship Challengers From CGC In Day Of Upsets
      • Giri, Duda Shut Down Dark Horses, Earn Seats In Toronto Finals
      • Nakamura Neutralizes Dominguez, Andreikin Upsets Caruana
      • So Edges Out Xiong, Aronian Knocks Out Sevian
      • Experience Bests Youth: Radjabov Knocks Out Erigaisi
      • Sarana 'Immortal' Upsets Mamedyarov; Duda, Xiong Cruise Through
      • Favorites Advance; Abdusattorov, Kramnik Eliminated
      • So Sweeps Ivanchuk, Dominguez Defeats Hansen
      • Sevian Scores Spectacular Upset; Caruana, Andreikin Advance
      • American Favorites Clean House
      • Sweet Revenge, Stunning Upsets
      • Svidler Sweeps Shirov, Favorites Triumph
      • Legends Fall, Prodigies Prevail
      • Kramnik and Sevian Sweep Inaugural Matches
      • Anand, Ivanchuk, Kramnik, Topalov Among Global Chess Championship Participants
      • Announcing The $100,000 CGC Bracket Contest
      • Chess.com Global Championship 2022: All The Information