It was a heartbreaking finish for Wesley So as fellow American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana eliminated him, 12–8, in the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) Finals.
The first two classical games ended in draws, leaving the match finely balanced. Caruana then gained the crucial advantage by defeating So in the bonus blitz game, before the battle moved into rapid and blitz tiebreaks.
Caruana proved to be a tough nut to crack, maintaining his composure and extending his lead to 8–6. Despite So’s efforts to fight back, the Italian-American GM held firm and completed the victory, 12–8.
With the championship hopes now over, So will have to regroup quickly. The Filipino-American star will battle German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer for third place, while Caruana advances to the final round of the GCT Finals against Indian prodigy, GM Praggnanandhaa.