Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand finished joint second after playing out a draw with Wesley So of United States in the Sinquefield Cup on Saturday.
Finishing with 5.5 points out of a possible nine, Anand gained valuable rating points to inch closer to the 2800 rating mark. With seven draws and two wins, Anand moved to seventh place in the world ranking.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France won the trophy after thrashing Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia to take his tally to six points.
Another overnight leader Levon Aronian’s lost to reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Carlsen joined Anand for the second spot, while Aronian had to be content with the joint fourth spot along with Sergey Karjakin of Russia.
For Anand, victory was unlikely against Wesley So who played a solid game with white pieces. The match was done in 33 moves.
While the Sinquefield Cup done and dusted, next up is the St. Louis rapid and blitz tournament that will have legendary Garry Kasparov back in an official event after a gap of 12 years. Anand too is set to participate in the event.
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