Seizing the moment

‘If the ball came loose from the back of the scrum, which it won’t of course…,’ said Boris, about his prospects of becoming prime minister. Disingenuous or not, it’s surely not a job won by determination alone. One needs a little help from events.
 
Despite a strong start, Wang Hao, from China, downplayed his chances of winning the Fide Chess.com Grand Swiss, so fierce was the competition. The field comprised most of the world’s top 100, plus a number of promising juniors, women and players from the Isle of Man where the event was held. But his score of 8 points from 11 games marked a career breakthrough for a player who has generally ranked just outside the world’s top 20 for a decade.
 
With generous sponsorship from the Scheinberg family, there was more than $400,000 at stake, including $70,000 for first place. In winning the event, Wang Hao also earns a golden ticket to the eight-player Candidates tournament in Yekaterinburg 2020, which will decide a challenger for the world championship.