For his first white game of the final, Nakamura opted for 1.e4, and So replied with his standard 1…e5. Soon, a line that the players had essayed several times before, albeit mostly in online play, with both colors against each, against other top players. It is considered “the forced draw” of the Berlin Defense in the Ruy Lopez.

After the game, Nakamura said his opening choice was affected by the fact that he is playing an online tournament at the same time. Wesley So jokingly joined in and said: “My strategy today was that if Hikaru was going get a game, I was going to use up all the time on my clock,” which drew a laughing response from Nakamura.

Results

FIDE Grand Prix Berlin is the final leg of the 2022 Grand Prix. The Berlin tournament takes place March 22-April 4. Tune in at 6 a.m. Pacific/15:00 CET each day for our broadcast.

Previous reports:

• Draw In Game 1: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Final Day 1
• Nakamura, So To Meet In Final: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Semifinals Tiebreaks
• Nakamura Early Winner Of Series: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Semifinals Day 2
• Wesley So Wins First Game: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Semifinals Day 1
• Mamedyarov, So Win Groups: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Group Tiebreaks
• Nakamura, Rapport In For FIDE Candidates: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Round 6
• Nakamura Wins Again, Leads With Aronian: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Round 5
• Nakamura Wins On Demand: 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, Round 4
• 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, R3: Keymer Wins, Nakamura Escapes
• 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, R2: 8 Draws
• 2022 FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Leg 3, R1: 4 Wins, Fighting Chess
• FIDE Grand Prix 2022: All The Information