Wesley So savors ‘nice begin to the 12 months’ with blitz chess crown

After a subpar 2025 season, Wesley So goals to return to the world high 10 after opening this 12 months’s marketing campaign with a blitz chess title in India

MANILA, Philippines – Wesley So’s pursuers tumbled within the homestretch, handing the Filipino-American Tremendous Grandmaster the Tata Metal Chess India 2026 blitz crown with out a hitch in Kolkata over the weekend.  

“Lastly a win! An important begin to the 12 months,” mentioned So after pocketing the highest purse of $7,500. 

Coupled with the $2,000 he obtained for putting fourth within the fast part gained by Nihal Sarin on Friday, January 9, the 32-year-old So went house with a complete prize of $9,500 (P562,000). 

So, the primary Fischer Random world champion, is attempting to recuperate from a disappointing 2025 season the place he gained solely a complete of $206,000 (P12.2 million) from official tournaments, and wound up dropping to No. 11 on this planet rankings.

Final December 30, So wound up sixth within the season-ending FIDE World Speedy Championship gained once more by world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. 

This time in India, So drew with Hans Niemann within the penultimate spherical and moved past the attain of Indian No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi and No. 5 Nihal Sarin, who had been derailed by R Praggnanandhaa and former world fast titlist Volodar Murzin, respectively.

Though the Bacoor, Cavite-born  misplaced to Praggnanandhaa within the 18th and final spherical, the three-time United States champion posted 12 factors, some extent forward of Sarin and Erigaisi, within the double round-robin, two-day occasion, together with the sooner three-day fast competitors.

It was a grand comeback for So, who yielded to Vidit Gujrathi within the opener however recovered with a five-game successful run over Sarin, five-time world champion Vishy Anand, Erigaisi, Chithambaram Aravindh, and Hans Niemann to high the primary round-robin with 7 factors. – Rappler.com