So keeps Sinquefield crown, bags P5.4M

Filipino-born Wesley So sustained his climb in the world rankings by besting Indian sensation Praggnanandha Rameshmabu in the Armageddon on Thursday (Manila time) and keeping the Sinquefield Cup crown in Saint Louis, Missouri.

So, the pride of Bacoor, Cavite, and Praggnanandhaa both finished with 5.5 points after the 10-man, round-robin classical matches, then drew the two rapid playoffs, necessitating the decider, where white is given five minutes and black four, but only needs a draw to win the match and the $87,500 (P5.39 million) champion's purse.

The 32-year-old So did just that to become the tournament's winningest with three solo titles, counting his victory in the 2016 Sinquefield Cup. Fabiano Caruana also has three, but shared the title with Levon Aronian in 2018.

So, also a three-time United States champion, drew with German No. 1 Victor Keymer in the first round, before notching back-to-back wins against Dutch star Jorden van Foreest and Caruana.

The first World Fischer Random Chess champion, So drew his remaining games against Praggnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, and Sam Sevian in succession.

Last week, So placed third in the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz behind Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov.

With his return to form, So rose to world No. 5, behind Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Caruana and Sindarov.

On 23 August, So will try to complete a remarkable month when he plays in the 2026 Grand Chess Tour Finals with Caruana, Keymer and Praggnanandhaa.

Rated as high as world No. 2 in 2017, So crashed out of the top 10 last year, but has since gained ground with solid classical play.