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For immediate release
Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So tie for first at the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Tournament
World Champion and World Chess Champion960 each win $ 45,000
SAINT LOUIS, September 19, 2020 – The final day of Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz concluded with a tie for first place between GM Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion, and GM Wesley So, the Chess960 World Champion, splitting $ 90,000 between them. This year’s event featured nine fast paced games and eighteen blitz games over five days and a $ 250,000 prize pool, $ 100,000 more than in 2019. This fast-paced event featured some of the best players in the world, including the World Champion Magnus Carlsen and two previous winners, Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura.
Historically, Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz is a regular stop on the Grand Chess Tour, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tour was cancelled. This year’s indie tournament featured five exciting days of online blitz and quick play, keeping fans and commentators guessing who would make it to the top until the last game.
The first day ended with Levon Aronian and Pentala Harikrishna emerging as co-leaders. While Aronian won the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz in both 2017 and 2019, this was Harikrishna’s first appearance at the event. The second day of the tournament began with a bloody and decisive round. Magnus Carlsen came back strong, winning all three games on the second day, taking a points lead over his closest rivals Wesley So and Ian Nepomniachtchi. The quick part concluded with Alexander Grischuk defeating the World Champion in the final round, allowing Wesley So to jump to first place. The tournament went blitz with 18 rounds over the next two days.
The end of day four turned into a two-horse race for the first time when Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So broke away from the rest of the group with a three-point lead. The World Champion kept his small lead on the fifth day, with Wesley So hot on his heels on the final day. The American had a hot streak, winning all three of his final games, including a decisive last-round win against Pentala Harikrishna, securing a tie for first place.
“What an exciting event. While the players could not be in Saint Louis, they nevertheless showed the same fighting spirit and courage that we expect from the best in the world, ”said Tony Rich, Saint Louis Chess Club Executive Director. “While internet chess is a different beast, the thrills and spills certainly entertained our global audience.”
“I’ve had a lot of experience at these Grand Chess Tour events and I tend to lose game after game; if I lose a game, it can snowball to a second or third loss, so I was trying to avoid that at all costs, ”Wesley So said in his interview at the end of the day. “It’s often difficult to compete against Magnus for first place, and in general in these blitzkriegs a lot can happen very quickly, so I’m grateful for today’s win.”
Magnus Carlsen reflected on the five-day event in his post-game interview: “Obviously, I’m happy to win everything I play. I thought overall the fast part was successful with lots of good moments and I congratulate Wesley So for a fantastic tournament, he played solidly throughout, especially with his three wins in a row. It was an overall amazing performance that you can only take your hat off to, ”said the World Champion of his tournament co-winner.
Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Daily Summaries can be found online at www.uschesschamps.com. Fans can rewatch the show and find great video highlights at Saint Louis Chess Club’s Youtube and Twitch.tv channels.
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