The final tournament of the Grand Chess Tour is finally upon us: the London Chess Classic. Wesley So, the winner of the Sinquefield Cup, is far enough ahead of the other players in the Tour that the only way for him to not win would be for Hikaru Nakamura to win the London Chess Classic.

Oddly enough, So and Nakamura had to face each other in the first round of the tournament – ultimately resulting in a win by So with black. As of right now (after Round 5), Wesley So is in the lead by half a point in front of Caruana, Kramnik, Aronian, and Nakamura. Should things turn around, there is still a chance that someone will take over the tournament!

This year’s tournament has been relatively more exciting than last year’s where there were many rounds of only draws and most rounds were primarily composed of draws. Another point that is very interesting this year is that the World Champion Magnus Carlsen is not competing. Nevertheless, the field is extremely high-leveled and competitive.

The tournament so far has turned out many exciting games – I advise you to explore them all, even the draws! I can’t wait to see who comes out as the victor in this close race towards the finish line and to all those college students out there – good luck on your finals!