Fabiano Caruana responded to recent comments about Wesley So's playing style during an appearance on the C-Squared Podcast with Cristian Chirila. Caruana characterized So as a very good defender and placed him among the best in that regard. He built on observations that So is primarily a solid classical player by suggesting that So becomes resourceful when facing difficult positions.

Caruana attributed So's defensive strength to his tactical vision, noting that these qualities work together naturally. He drew parallels to other top players, mentioning that tactically gifted players like Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen tend to excel at defense as well. According to Caruana, So's weaknesses are relatively minor, with occasional difficulty converting positions where he holds an advantage into wins.

The discussion centered on So's recent performance at the US Chess Championships, which took place at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri. Sam Sevian managed to defeat So in the final round, claiming victory after 67 moves. So committed a critical inaccuracy that squandered significant advantage, and he eventually resigned without recovery.

Caruana acknowledged Sevian's achievement while contextualizing So's overall strength. He noted that despite the loss, So remained the favorite heading into the final round and that losses against any opponent remain statistically unlikely for a player of So's caliber. Sevian had entered the championship round in last place without a win and managed to overcome the odds against a formidable opponent.