FIDE Surveys – Judith Polgar 

1 

 

Judith Polgar: 

 
So - Wesley So 

 
 
Kasparov's emerageance in top chess in the 
early '80s determined a radical change of 
winds with respect to the era dominated by 
Karpov. Much due to his outstanding 
succeses chess became more concrete and 
aggressive, with the aim of achieving as 
much as possible with each move, starting 
with the early opening. Kasparov's 
domination lasted for two full decades, so, 
when he retired in 2005, it could be felt that 
it would be not emply to fill in the empty 
space left on the very top. The first player 
who induced a new tendency was Magnus 
Carlsen, who switched back to the classical 
strategic chess, with such a persistence and 
effectiveness that he won three consecutive 
World title matches. But to many the last 
minute hero is Wesley So, who over the past 
years had an impressive string of tournament 
successes. What strikes most in Wesley's 
play is the fluidity of his play, making one 
wonder how would it still possible to win 
games with such apparent ease and natural 
moves. The games I have chosen for this 
article feature the same opening, the Catalan, 
and similar structure, with a kingside 
majority for White. 
 
So : Adams 
London 2016 
 
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 
0–0 6.0–0 dc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qc4 
Bc6 10.Bg5 a5 11.Nc3 Ra6 12.Qd3!?  
Preparing e2–e4 without the need of giving 
way the g5–bishop, but also getting ready to 
defend the b2–pawn. The point behind 
Black's original manoeuvre is that after the  
standard 12.Bf6 Bf6 13.e4 he has 13...Rb6, 

causing troubles with the d4 and b2 pawns. 
12...Rb6 13.Qc2 h6 14.Bd2 Bb4 15.Rfe1  
Black cannot increase his pressure against 
White's centre anymore. In order to avoid 
being crushed with e2–e4, after which his 
rook and c6–bishop would be terribly 
misplaced, he needs giving up one of the 
bishops. 
15...Bf3 
The alternative is 15...Bc3 but this 
strengthens White's centre. 16.bc3 White can 
fight against the blockade on light squares 
with, say, 16...Be4 As we will see, the 
blockade is not very stable. 17.Qc1 Nc6 
18.Rd1 Qe7 19.Bf1!?, followed by Bf4 and 
Nd2. 
16.Bf3 Nc6 17.e3 
For the time being Black has prevented the 
massive advance of White's centre, but 
things could change in the future, justifying 
Black's next move. 
17...e5  

XIIIIIIIIY 
9-+-wq-trk+0 
9+pzp-+pzp-0 
9-trn+-sn-zp0 
9zp-+-zp-+-0 
9Pvl-zP-+-+0 
9+-sN-zPLzP-0 
9-zPQvL-zP-zP0 
9tR-+-tR-mK-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

18.Bc6!  
An elegant and effective way of converting a 
form of advantge into another. 
18...ed4  
If 18...Rc6 19.de5 Nd7 20.f4±, White is just 
a pawn up. 
19.Bf3 dc3 20.bc3 Bc5  
White has preserved his bishops pair, but his 
central space advantage turned into a mobile 

FIDE Surveys – Judith Polgar 

2 

 

kingside majority. On the queenside his 
weaknesses are only apparent, as the isolated 
pawns safely block Black's majority. In the 
next phase of the game So will manoeuvre 
slowly, gradually activating both bishops. 
21.Rab1 Rd6 22.Red1 b6 23.c4 Qe7 24.Bc3 
Rfd8 25.Bb2 Qe6 26.Rd6 Rd6 27.Rd1 Rd1 
28.Qd1 Bd6 
The recent exchanges did not make things 
easier for Black as a queen and two bishops 
are enough to create kingside threats in 
combination with the mobile majority. 
Strictly speaking this is an ending, but 
White's attacking chances yield the position 
certin middlegame threads. 
29.Qd4  
In view of Black's far from obvious defence 
mentioned below, this may be not the 
strongest. 29.Qc2 comes into account, for 
instance 29...Be5 Of course, Black should 
try exchanging one of the dangerous 
bishops. 30.Ba3 Bd6 31.c5. 
29...Qe8?!  
29...Qd7! would have offered a better 
antidote to White's intended regrouping: 
30.Bd1 (Actually White should return to the 
previous position with 30.Qd1 Qe6 and then 
re-start planning.) 30...Be5!! 31.Qd7 Nd7, 
with reasonable chances to hold due to the 
stability on dark squares. 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9-+-+q+k+0 
9+-zp-+pzp-0 
9-zp-vl-sn-zp0 
9zp-+-+-+-0 
9P+PwQ-+-+0 
9+-+-zPLzP-0 
9-vL-+-zP-zP0 
9+-+-+-mK-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

30.Bd1!  

Not only defending the pawn, but also 
getting closer to the perfect regrouping. 
30...Qc6?!  
Underestimating White's plan. 30...Qe4!? is 
safer. 
31.Bc2!  
White has obtained a promising attacking 
position almost efortlessly. Everything is 
ready for the advance of the pawn majority. 
31...Kf8  
Evacuating the dangerous area, but the king 
is not safe in the centre either. 
32.e4 Bc5 33.Qd8 Ne8 34.Qd5 Qg6 35.Kg2 
Ke7 36.f4 c6 37.Qd3 Nc7?  
For far from obvious reasons this is blunder 
in a difficult position. 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9-+-+-+-+0 
9+-sn-mkpzp-0 
9-zpp+-+qzp0 
9zp-vl-+-+-0 
9P+P+PzP-+0 
9+-+Q+-zP-0 
9-vLL+-+KzP0 
9+-+-+-+-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

38.f5!+–  
Leaving the queen short of good squares. 
The point is that the g7–pawn is hanging. 
38...Qg5  
38...Qh7 is not only undesirable, but also 
allows a forced win: 39.f6 gf6 40.Bf6!+– 
Kf6 41.e5. 
39.Be5 Ne6  
39...Ne8 drops the queen: 40.Bf4 Qf6 
(40...Qh5 41.Bd1) 41.e5. 
40.fe6  
Black cannot retrieve the piece as this would 
lead to mate: 40.fe6 Qe5 41.Qd7 Kf6 42.Qf7 
Kg5 43.h4 Kg4 44.Bd1#. 1:0. 
 

FIDE Surveys – Judith Polgar 

3 

 

So : Kramnik 
Shamkir 2017 
 
In the next game, played shortly before I 
write this lines, we will see a similar picture, 
with So's pieces regrouping slowly until 
reaching the optimal attacking squares in a 
similar structure as above. The only 
difference is that Black will manage 
exchanging one of White's bishops, but this 
will not influence the character of play, nor 
affect the fluidity of So's plan. And from 
psychological point of view it is interesting 
that So will defeat one of the greatest 
Catalan experts of the past decades. 
1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0–0 
0–0 6.d4 dc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qc4 Bc6 
10.Bf4 a5 11.Nc3 Nbd7 12.Qd3 Bb4 
13.Rfe1 Re8 14.Qc2 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9r+-wqr+k+0 
9+pzpn+pzpp0 
9-+l+psn-+0 
9zp-+-+-+-0 
9Pvl-zP-vL-+0 
9+-sN-+NzP-0 
9-zPQ+PzPLzP0 
9tR-+-tR-mK-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

The situation is familiar to us. The threat e2–
e4 forces Black making a concession. The 
main difference is that Black's development 
is more harmonious than Adams', making 
the break with ...e6–e5 sounder strategically. 
14...Bf3 15.Bf3 c6 16.Red1 Qe7 17.Na2 
The start of a long and most effective knight 
journey, consisting of at least three 
important phases. 
17...Bd6 18.Bd6 
With his minor pieces imperfectly 
coordinated, So refrains from keeping his 

bishops pair with the somewhat passive 
18.Bd2. A possible continuation is 18...e5 
19.de5 Ne5 20.Bg2 Neg4 21.e3 Bc5 
(Threatening Nf2!) 22.Rf1 Nd5 23.h3 Ngf6. 
Black's activity makes the pawn majority's 
advance in the near future improbable. 
18...Qd6 19.Nc1 Nd5 20.e4 Nb4 21.Qc3 e5 
22.Nb3 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9r+-+r+k+0 
9+p+n+pzpp0 
9-+pwq-+-+0 
9zp-+-zp-+-0 
9Psn-zPP+-+0 
9+NwQ-+LzP-0 
9-zP-+-zP-zP0 
9tR-+R+-mK-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

Completing the first phase of regrouping. 
The knight keeps the a5–pawn under 
observation, thus questioning Black's 
stability on dark squares. 
22...Qe7 23.Bg2 ed4 24.Rd4 Nf8 25.Rad1 
Red8 26.R1d2!?  
A deep half-waiting move, defending the 
queen's rook. With his next move Kramnik 
shows he underestimated White's idea. 
26...Ne6?  
26...b6 was safer even though White retains 
pressure with 27.Rd8 Rd8 28.Nd4, followed 
by f2–f4. In this line, too, it is important that 
the rook is defended. 
27.Rd8 Rd8 28.Na5 Ra8 29.Nc4 Ra4 
30.Nd6 
 

 

 
 

FIDE Surveys – Judith Polgar 

4 

 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9-+-+-+k+0 
9+p+-wqpzpp0 
9-+psNn+-+0 
9+-+-+-+-0 
9rsn-+P+-+0 
9+-wQ-+-zP-0 
9-zP-tR-zPLzP0 
9+-+-+-mK-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

Black has retrieved the pawn but the white 
knight has reached a perfect square in the 
process. 
30...Ra1 31.Bf1  
Knowing the game with Adams, we can 
anticipate that the last move makes part from 
White's global plan. 
31...Na6 32.Kg2 Nac7 33.Nf5 
33.Nb7 was entirely playable, but So does'nt  
wish to lower the rhythm of his initiative. 
33...Qe8 34.Bc4 Ra8 35.Rd6 
Threatening with a double capture on e6 and 
more or less forcing Black to allow the 
rook's access to the seventh rank. 
35...Qf8 36.Rd7 Re8  
37.Qe5 
Once again pawn grabbing was possible, but 
it would have lowered the speed of the 
attack: 37.Be6 Ne6 38.Rb7 g6 39.Ne3 Nc5 
40.Rc7 Ne4 41.Qc6. 
37...b5 38.Ba2 g6 39.Ne3 
This is strong enough and it marks the start 
of a new incursion of the knight. But White 
missed a promising attacking possibiltiy: 
39.Rf7 Kf7 40.Qc7 Kf6 (40...Kg8 41.Nd4 
wins) 41.Qc6 (Threatening Nd4.)041...gf5 
42.ef5. White has three pawns for the 
exchange and a continuing attack. One fine 
point is that 42...Kf5 runs into 43.Be6. Due 
to the possible f2–f4 and h2–h4 the king 
wouls soon have to go to the sixth rank 

allowing Bd7, since 43...Re6 44.Qf3 wins 
the queen. 
39...Re7 40.Re7 Qe7 41.Ng4 Qg5 42.Nf6 
Kh8 43.Nd7 Qe5 44.Ne5 

XIIIIIIIIY 
9-+-+-+-mk0 
9+-sn-+p+p0 
9-+p+n+p+0 
9+p+-sN-+-0 
9-+-+P+-+0 
9+-+-+-zP-0 
9LzP-+-zPKzP0 
9+-+-+-+-0 
xiiiiiiiiy 

The culminating point of the knight journey. 
White won a pawn and soon after the game. 
44...Nd4 45.Bf7 c5 46.f4 c4 47.Kf2 Kg7 
48.Ke3 Nb3 49.g4 Nc5 50.h4 Na4 51.b3 
cb3 52.Bb3 Nc5 53.Bd1 h6 54.Nc6 N7a6 
55.Kd4 Ne6 56.Ke5 Nec5 57.Bc2 b4 
58.Nd4 g5 59.hg5 hg5 60.f5 Nd7 61.Kd6 
Nf6 62.e5 Ng4 63.Ne6 Kh6 64.f6 Nb8 
65.Ba4  
These games not only offer a model about 
how to treat this opening variation with 
white and how to make use of the mobile 
kingside majority. They also offer an image 
about coherent, fluent planning and play, 
which are one of So's main threads.  
1:0.