Wesley So: Unusual Openings from Tata 2017 pt1

This year's (2017) Tata Steel tournament featured a surprising number of unusual openings. I decided to go through the opening phase of a bunch of these games, and try to apply some logic to figure out what was successful and not successful, and what some other relevant options were.
In this first snippet, I look at two games of Wesley So's, one a Catalan where white surrenders the center, the other a "d4 Bg5 Nd2" in which white quickly invites the black queen into his king's castled position. Both are extremely tactical openings, handled better by Wesley than his super-GM opponents.

PGNs:
[White "Wesley So"]
[Black "Radoslaw Wojtaszek"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.Qc2 c5 7.O-O Nc6 8.dxc5 d4 9.a3 a5 ( 9...Bxc5 10.b4 Bb6 11.c5 Bc7 12.Bb2 e5 13.Rd1 ) 10.Rd1 e5 ( 10...Bxc5 11.b4 ( 11.Bf4 Re8 ( 11...Nd7 ) 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 Ng4 14.Bxd4 ( 14.Bf4 e5 ( 14...Nxf2 ) 15.Bc1 Nxf2 ) 14...Bxd4 15.e3 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Bxe3+ 17.Kh1 Qc7 ) ( 11.Nc3 Qe7 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 ) ( 11.e3 e5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.exd4 Bxd4 ( 13...Ba7 14.dxe5 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Ng4+ 16.Kg1 Qb6+ ( 16...Qc7 17.c5 Qxe5 18.Bf4 Qh5 19.h3 ) 17.c5 ) 14.Be3 Nc6 ( 14...Bxe3 15.Rxd8 Bxf2+ 16.Qxf2 Rxd8 17.Nc3 ) 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Rxd4 Qe7 ) 11...axb4 12.axb4 Rxa1 13.bxc5 e5 ) 11.Nc3 ( 11.e3 ) 11...Bxc5 12.Nd5 h6 ( 12...Nxd5 13.cxd5 Qxd5 14.Nxd4 ( 14.Ng5 Qd6 ( 14...e4 15.Nxe4 Be7 16.Nf6+ ) 15.Ne4 ( 15.Qxh7# ) ) 14...Nxd4 ) 13.Bd2 a4 14.Bb4 Nxb4 15.axb4 Nxd5 ( 15...Bd6 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.Rxa4 ( 17.c5 Bf5 18.e4 dxe3 19.Rxd6 Bxc2 20.Rxf6 gxf6 ) 17...Bf5 18.Qb3 ) 16.bxc5 Nb4 ( 16...Nf6 17.Nxe5 ) 17.Qd2 Nc6 18.b4 Qe7 19.Qb2 Bg4 20.Re1 Rfd8 21.Nd2 Be6 22.b5 Nb8 23.Qb4 f5 24.Nb3 Nd7 25.Bxb7 Rab8 26.Rxa4 Rxb7 27.c6 Qxb4 28.Rxb4 Rc7 29.cxd7 Rxc4 30.Rxc4 Bxc4 31.Rc1 Be6 32.Rc8 Rxc8 33.dxc8=Q+ Bxc8 34.b6

[White "Ian Nepomniachtchi"]
[Black "Wesley So"]
[Result "0-1"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.dxc5 ( 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 Qb6 6.Ngf3 ( 6.Nb3 Bf5 ) 6...Qxb2 ) 4...e6 5.e4 ( 5.e3 Bxc5 6.Ngf3 O-O 7.c4 ) 5...h6 ( 5...Bxc5 6.exd5 exd5 7.Ngf3 O-O 8.Nb3 ) 6.Bh4 ( 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.exd5 ( 7.c3 Bxc5 8.Ngf3 ) 7...Bxc5 8.Ne4 ( 8.Ngf3 Qxb2 9.dxe6 Bxe6 ) 8...Qxb2 9.Nxc5 Qc3+ 10.Ke2 Qxc5 ) 6...dxe4 7.Qe2 ( 7.Nxe4 Qxd1+ ( 7...Qa5+ 8.Nc3 Bxc5 ) 8.Rxd1 Nxe4 ( 8...g5 9.Nxf6+ Ke7 10.Bg3 ( 10.Bxg5 hxg5 11.Ne4 ) 10...Kxf6 11.h4 ( 11.Nf3 Nc6 12.Bd6 ) ) 9.Rd8# ) 7...Qa5 8.O-O-O ( 8.a3 Bxc5 ( 8...e3 9.Qxe3 Bxc5 10.Qf3 Nbd7 11.O-O-O O-O 12.Nb3 ) ( 8...Nc6 9.O-O-O Nd4 10.Qe1 Qxc5 11.c3 Be7 ( 11...Nc6 12.Bxf6 ( 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 ) 12...gxf6 13.Nxe4 ) 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Nxe4 ) 9.O-O-O Bxa3 ( 9...Nbd7 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.Qxe4 O-O 12.Bd3 ) 10.bxa3 ( 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.bxa3 Qxa3+ 12.Kb1 ) 10...Qxa3+ 11.Kb1 Nd5 12.Nxe4 ) 8...Qxa2 9.Qb5+ ( 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Qb5+ Bd7 ( 10...Nd7 11.Nxe4 a6 12.Nxf6+ ( 12.Qd3 Qa1+ 13.Kd2 Qxb2 14.Nf3 ) 12...Ke7 13.Rd6 ( 13.Rxd7+ Bxd7 14.Qxd7+ Kxf6 15.Qd4+ ( 15.Nf3 Bxc5 ) 15...e5 ) ( 13.Qd3 Kxf6 14.Qc3+ e5 15.f4 ( 15.Bc4 Qa1+ 16.Kd2 Qa4 ) 15...Qa1+ 16.Kd2 Qa4 17.fxe5+ ( 17.Bc4 Bxc5 18.fxe5+ Ke7 ) 17...Nxe5 18.Nf3 Qf4+ ) ) 11.Qxb7 Bc6 12.Qc8+ Ke7 ) 9...Nbd7 10.c6 ( 10.Bxf6 ) ( 10.Bc4 Qa1+ 11.Nb1 a6 12.Qb3 Nxc5 13.Qe3 Be7 ) 10...bxc6 11.Qxc6 Bb7 ( 11...Rb8 ) 12.Qxb7 Qa1+ 13.Nb1 Rb8 14.Qxb8+ Nxb8 15.Bb5+ Nfd7 16.Ne2 Be7 17.Bxe7 Kxe7 18.Nd4 Nc5 19.h4 Rd8 20.Rh3 Nd3+ 21.Bxd3 Rxd4 22.Be2 Rxd1+ 23.Bxd1 Qa5 24.Nd2 f5 25.Rg3 Qe5 26.Ra3 Nc6 27.g3 Qd4 28.Re3 Nb4 -- Watch live at   / dpruess