Fide World Chess Cup 2017 (Tbilisi, Georgia; Semifinal Round)

While most Filipino chess fans have shed a tear after Wesley So lost in a hopeless Rook versus Queen endgame, we congratulate Ding, Liren of China for overcoming the pressure and winning against a higher rated opponent. Indeed, both players are worthy of praise for having done their best in this very prestigious event. 

So vs. Liren (after 69.__Qb8+; final position) 0-1

Chess Lesson:

One principle in chess strategy is that the Queen should not be brought out in the early stages of the game. The underlying reason behind this principle is that deploying the Queen early in the game exposes her majesty to attack and gives the initiative to the attacking player. In this decisive game, when So played 14.Qb5, it exposed his Queen to attack by Black's Rook and Knight.

In this game, Black demonstrated how to exploit what is described as a "premature Queen sortie".

So vs. Liren (after 14. Qb5)