Filipino-born grandmaster Wesley So checked Hikaru Nakamura’s king in 55 moves to rule the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 Leg 3 after winning their second tiebreak game Monday evening in Berlin, but still ended up third overall in the series.
Despite the loss to So, Nakamura won the overall crown and is already assured of a place in the FIDE Candidates tournament with runner-up Hungarian Richard Rapport.
So finished the final leg with a win and three draws for 16 points at third place, trailing Nakamura, who won the title with 23 points.
Utilizing the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez, So played the white pieces, and capitalized on a blunder by Nakamura to claim the Leg 3 victory.
The first tiebreak match ended in a 55-move draw by repetition of moves for both players with Nakamura using the Vienna Game.
The 28-year-old So advanced to the Leg 3 finals after hurdling Iranian Amin Tabatabaei in the semifinals.
Nakamura was first at the end of the 3-part Grand Prix after winning the two Berlin legs with a total of 23 points and a total purse of 42,000 euros.