Chess: Wesley So settles for 3rd; Nakamura crowned king of US Championships

Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So finished third place in the 2015 US Chess Championships, one and a half points behind the champion, Hikaru Nakamura. So earned a cash prize of $20,000. 

 

Earlier, So forfeited his Round 9 match against Varuzhan Akobian, but recovered in rounds 10 and 11. First, So knocked out Gata Kamsky in Round 10. Kamsky was the reigning champion. In the next round, he subdued Kayden Troff. 

 

The Round 11 win was not enough though for So to overtake Ray Robson, who secured second place by accumulating seven and a half points.

Nakamura and Robson dueled in Round 10 but Nakamura remained the leader with a draw.

 

"GM Wesley So was forfeited after his sixth move against GM Varuzhan Akobian, for writing personal notes on a separate sheet of paper during their encounter," the US Championships website said in its account of the controversial Round 9 game.

 

It was Chief Arbiter Tony Rich who handed down the ruling. 

 

“I mentioned to Wesley twice earlier in the event that using notes or other sources of information is not allowed and strictly forbidden, according to the FIDE laws of chess," Rich said.

"After the second warning, I notified Wesley that, if it happened again, I would be required to forfeit him. Unfortunately, that was the decision that I had to make: Wesley's round 9 game was forfeited,” Rich added.

Article 11.3 of the FIDE Laws of Chess states:
 

11.3 During play the players are forbidden to use any notes, sources of information or advice, or analyse any game on another chessboard. (...) The rules of a competition may specify a different, less severe, penalty.

 

In an interview after Round 10, So said he did not write on the scoresheet but on another sheet of paper. He said he only wrote reminders to tell himself to “play hard” but the arbiter did not allow the notes to self. So also said he had written similar notes in other tournaments.

 

“Yes, unfortunately it has been a habit for me for a long time - for years actually - and I did it a lot in the past, in Tata Steel, almost all my tournaments. Nothing was working for me in this tournament, so I thought I'd go back to my old habit. This tournament has been a nightmare for me, so I just want it to be finished,” So said in the interview broadcast on Livestream.

 

So now has 2788 Elo points—just 10 points behind Nakamura's 2798. Robson has 2656 Elo points.

According to FIDE, So's current rank is 8th in the world. Magnus Carlsen is the world's No. 1.

Wesley So's pairings and game results can be viewed on the US Championships website. — Earl Victor Rosero, GMA News