So draws with Indian, keeps lead

GM Wesley So failed to shake off winless GM Parimarjan Negi in a Queen’s Gambit Declined game and settled for a draw, keeping a half-point lead over three others after four rounds of the 2010 Biel Young Grandmasters Chess Championship in Biel, Switzerland Thursday.

So, who trailed the Indian GM in their head-to-head duel, 1-2, held off his attack when Negi replied with the Orthodox defense to the Filipino bet’s d4 opening by declining white’s temporary pawn sacrifice.

Experts said Negi’s opening is one of the most reliable defenses to d4 since it gives black a solid position and a foothold in the center.

A series of exchanges of the major pieces ensued in the middlegame, leaving the two youngest players in the field with one rook and five pawns each.

Seeing little prospects in an almost identical endgame position, So agreed to a draw after the 28th.

The 16-year-old So thus raised his total to 3.5 points, still half a point ahead of second seed GM Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia, No. 3 GM Fabiano Caruna of Italy and sixth seed Dmitry Andreikin of Russia.

Tomashevsky and Caruana battled each other to a draw, while Andreikin downed GM David Howell of England to stay within striking distance with three points.

Negi, who became the world’s second youngest GM of all-time at 13 years, three months and 22 days, finally ended a three-game losing skid with the draw with the Filipino champion. The 17-year-old former world junior titlist from New Delhi lost his first three matches.

Meanwhile, So tries to pad his lead as he takes Caruana in Friday’s fifth round and before colliding with Tomashevsky in the sixth round on Saturday. The Category 17 tournament takes a break Sunday.