GM Wesley So defeated GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a Speed Chess Championship quarterfinal match that was tight in the beginning and tight in the end, but it was a tour de force by So in the middle. With the exception of World Champion Magnus Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura, So is the most accomplished player in Speed Chess Championship history, and with this victory, he has advanced to the semifinals where he will face the winner of the match between Nakamura and GM Vladimir Fedoseev.

So and Duda had played one previous Speed Chess Championship match in 2018, and So won convincingly, 20-7. Two years later, Duda is a considerably more accomplished player and no longer a junior. Would his performance against the reigning U.S. champion be superior this time around?

In general, Duda performed much better. The final score of 16-10 was certainly closer, and Jan-Krzysztof even leaped out to an early lead of 2.5-0.5. He ultimately drew the 5+1 time control (4-4) and won the 1+1 time control 5-4, but in the 3+1 portion of the match, So was simply untouchable. He won seven games and drew only two for a point total of 8-1. 

As the match advanced to 1|1, Duda was almost mathematically out of contention, but he did start well with a victory. After the two grandmasters exchanged a series of blows, Duda’s consecutive wins in games five and six gave him the edge in the time control, and he ultimately won it 5-4. 

Text: Sam Copeland

Photo: chess.com