A quick turnaround is never easy, especially after a one-move blunder in a winning position costs you a chance to fight for the title. This was the reality for Russia’s Andrey Esipenko in the final round of the 2025 FIDE Chess World Cup in Goa. Following a brutal semifinal tiebreak loss to China’s Wei Yi, Esipenko had to immediately regroup to face Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev for the crucial third-place playoff.
Esipenko rose to the challenge, striking back instantly to beat Yakubboev and take a crucial 1-0 lead on Monday. He is now just a draw away from becoming the sixth confirmed participant for the Candidates tournament.
The Russian gained an early advantage with white pieces in the Sicilian Defense game after Yakubboev made two questionable moves – the dubious bishop placements on move 12 (12…Bd5?) and move 13 (13…Be7). These inaccuracies cost the Uzbek dearly, leaving him 30 minutes behind on the clock.
Although Esipenko continued to grind and initiated exchanges, he lost the edge of his position. His saving grace was his significant time advantage. Yakubboev, a pawn down, was left with just three minutes to make 11 moves before the time control. Under this intense pressure, he failed to find accurate defensive moves, and his position slowly crumbled. Yakubboev ultimately resigned on the 38th move, being two pawns down.
Meanwhile, on the top board – where the ceremonial first move was made by legendary Indian sporting icon Abhinav Bindra, an Olympic gold medalist – the final between Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov had a more relaxed energy, as both players had already achieved their primary goal of qualifying for the Candidates. Despite this, they engaged in a fighting game.
Wei Yi once again opted for the Petrov Defence with the black pieces, forcing Sindarov to take risks in search of a decisive edge. Both players showed tremendous opening preparation, proving to be equal and worthy opponents. By the 19th move, each still had nearly 90 minutes left on their clocks.
Just as the game appeared balanced, Sindarov made a slight inaccuracy that could have altered the course of the game. On move 22, instead of capturing the pawn on c5 with his knight, he played the questionable move (22…Rb1?), attacking Black’s bishop on b2.
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However, finding it difficult to convert this slight advantage, Wei Yi immediately simplified the position. The Chinese Grandmaster, the higher seed, dictated the pace for much of the game and even went a pawn up in a bishop endgame. However, the position proved too solid to convert into a win. Sindarov exhibited exceptional endgame technique, and the players agreed to a draw after 50 moves.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
