Wesley So will try to bounce back after experiencing a series of setbacks from the 10 tournaments he has joined this year.
He said he will study hard and be better in his upcoming games.
So vowed to do this after bowing to Fabiano Caruana in the semifinals of the 2020 Clutch Chess International online tournament.
World no. 1 Magnus Carlsen eventually won the crown after he outpointed Caruana, 9.5-8.5, following a 31-move win in the last match of their 12-game series.
The last match, the second clutch game of Round 2, was worth three points and so was Game 11.
“My plans are the same as every other professional. Study hard and hope your business starts up again. Because of COVID-19, I lost ten tournaments so far this year,” said So in an interview with the Manila Standard.
Caruana took the lead following the first clutch game of the second round after he won Game 11 in 40 moves of a Sicilian Defense.
The white-playing Caruana was a pawn up and had a strong position throughout.
He forced Carlsen to quit after Caruana took control of the queenside with his knight and rook.
In the second clutch game (Game 12), Carlsen took control of the center and got Caruana in trouble with a pawn exchange in the 16th moves.
Caruana then gave up his queen on the 19th move, and Carlsen found the winning lines afterwards.
Carlsen went on to claim $75,000 for the win.