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Andrey Esipenko stole the spotlight on a dramatic day at the FIDE World Cup finals, delivering a near-flawless performance to defeat Nodirbek Yakubboev and secure both third place and a prized ticket to the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
Yakubboev entered the round under immense pressure, needing a win to stay alive. But the young Uzbek never found his footing. Opting for an offbeat Neo-Catalan to shake Esipenko out of preparation, he instead handed Black a comfortable position, one that Esipenko punished with cold precision.
From that moment on, it was all Esipenko.
The Russian grandmaster navigated the position with effortless harmony — eschewing engine lines for classical, intuitive play reminiscent of Capablanca. Piece placement, pressure building,
controlled trades, denial of counterplay — Esipenko executed each phase with clinical clarity before finishing with a crisp mating net.
The result: two classical wins, no tiebreaks needed, and a calm, exhausted Esipenko walking out of the hall knowing he had earned it the hard way.
Sindarov–Wei Yi: A Quiet Prelude to Tiebreak Mayhem
The board for first place offered none of the drama of Esipenko’s triumph. Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov blitzed out a well-known Rubinstein Variation in the Four Knights Spanish, steering the game into a quick 30-minute draw and saving their real fight for the tiebreaks.
Round 8 Game 2 Results
Nodirbek Yakubboev 0–1 Andrey Esipenko
Wei Yi ½–½ Javokhir Sindarov
(with agency inputs)
