After seven gruelling rounds and twenty-three days of intense chess, the FIDE World Cup reached its final stage with Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov battling for first place and the 120,000 USD first prize, and Andrey Esipenko and Nodirbek Yakubboev fighting for third place and the final Candidates qualification spot. Both matches carry enormous weight, creating a tense atmosphere throughout the hall.
In the match for the title, a complex opening led to a position where Wei Yi had chances to push for more, but with the Black pieces he steered the game toward a more balanced continuation and an eventual draw. On the other board, Andrey Esipenko successfully recovered from yesterday’s loss and struck first in his match against Yakubboev.
A notable change in the hall today was the arrival of the official trophy, the Vishwanathan Anand Trophy, displayed on the stage for the first time. Glistening under the overhead lights, it immediately drew the attention of media, spectators, and the players themselves.
The ceremonial first move was made by Indian sporting icon Abhinav Bindra, an Olympic gold medalist in shooting who made history by winning India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold. A fitting choice for the board of Wei Yi – Sindarov, as both players are Olympiad gold medalists themselves in 2014, 2018, and 2022 respectively.
Let’s take a look at the two games today:
Game 1 results
- Andrey Esipenko 1-0 Nodirbek Yakubboev
- Javokhir Sindarov ½ – ½ Wei Yi
Andrey Esipenko (2693) vs Nodirbek Yakubboev (2689)
Emotionally, the battle for third place may be even more demanding, as both players entered today still carrying the weight of semifinal losses. Yakubboev was coming off a ½–1½ tiebreak defeat to his compatriot Javokhir Sindarov, while Esipenko had experienced an equally painful ½–1½ loss defined by one final, decisive blunder that turned a winning position into a loss.
As our commentator GM Peter Leko noted during the broadcast, the best way to recover from a loss is simply to play good moves the next day, and that is exactly what Esipenko did to take the lead in the match.
An Open Sicilian that soon transposed into the Four Knights Variation set the tone. The game quickly entered a sideline chosen by Yakubboev, who then spent considerable time on his ninth move, raising questions about his level of preparation and confidence. Esipenko achieved the better position out of the opening, and an important moment soon arose:
Here, 15.Nd6 is a strong knight jump that plants a thorn in Black’s camp. After 15…Bxd6 16.exd6, the pawn cannot be captured by the queen straight away due to the threat of c4 hitting the pinned bishop. And after 16…Bxf3 17.Rxf3 Qxd6 18.f5, White is clearly better. In his post-game visit to the studio, Esipenko explained that he had seen this line but did not evaluate it as favorably for White as the computer suggests.
Instead, he opted for 15.Be3 and the game continued. Eventually, the players transitioned into an endgame that chess engines evaluate as equal. Still, it required a great deal of accuracy from Black. After making a couple of inaccuracies, Sindarov should have gone for a rook endgame down a pawn with drawing prospects, but he chose otherwise.
White was already slightly better on both the board and the clock. For better or worse Black should have traded his knight for the bishop and work hard for a draw after 32…Nxc1 33.Kxc1 cxb3 34.axb3 Rd3 35.Rf2+ Ke7 36.Rf3 Rd5. However, with only a few minutes remaining, Black played 32…h5?, allowing Esipenko to keep the bishop with 33.Bd2 (although Be3 was even stronger).
After that, Black’s position collapsed rapidly: 33…Ra5 34.Be3 a6 35.bxc4 Re5 36.Bd4 Rg5 37.Kf2 Rxg3 38.Be3 and Yakubboev resigned.
Aside from playing good moves, Esipenko described how he recovered after yesterday’s heartbreak: dinner at his favourite restaurant, time relaxing with his second, and switching off from chess by watching the Arsenal vs Tottenham football match,.made even sweeter by his favourite team, Arsenal, winning and lifting his mood.
Now the momentum shifts to Yakubboev, who must regroup and strike back with the White pieces tomorrow.
Javokhir Sindarov (2721) vs Wei Yi (2752)
The match for first place is a closely contested one, with both players in excellent form, riding strong momentum, and a touch of luck, from earlier rounds. Although both earned Candidates qualification after their semifinal victories, the work is far from over. One match remains to determine the overall champion and the significant prize fund. Both entered today with confidence reinforced by winning their previous matches.
With the Black pieces, Wei Yi again relied on his main weapon of the event; the Petroff Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6. Sindarov countered with the lesser-played Modern Attack, 3.d4, soon reaching a fresh position. Judging by their quick pace, both players appeared very well-prepared. The game evolved into a high-level strategic battle where both continued with impressive accuracy. It was the kind of game that is difficult to fully grasp at a glance, but revealing of the depth of understanding that top-level players possess.
When everything appeared balanced, an important moment emerged:
White should simply capture on c5 here, but instead erred with 22.Rb1, giving Black a chance, though not an easy one to convert. The sequence 22…Qxd3 23.Qxd3 Bxd3 24.Rxb2 resulted in the following position:
This is the final critical moment. Black was the one pressing but needed to find 24…Rxf4! After 25.Nxc5 Rxg4 26.Bg3 Bxf1 27.Kxf1 Rf8+, Black has a rook and two pawns for two minor pieces. It is by no means winning, but Black is the stronger side pushing for something.
Instead, Wei Yi chose 24…Bxe4, and the game immediately simplified into a drawn opposite-colored bishops endgame, followed by an expected draw. In the post-game interview, Wei Yi mentioned that he had calculated 24…Rxf4 but evaluated it as better for White, and since he had the Black pieces today, he preferred the more solid continuation, an outcome he said he was satisfied with.
Tomorrow the players switch colours. Let’s see what opening ideas they bring to the board!
The action can be followed live on the FIDE YouTube Channel, featuring expert commentary by GMs Jan Gustafsson and Peter Leko.
To watch the games in person, tickets can be purchased [HERE]
Written by WIM Charlize van Zyl (Goa, India)
Photos: Michal Walusza
