Esipenko qualifies for Candidates after beating Yakubboev in FIDE World Cup play-off
GM Andrey Esipenko defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third-place play-off at the FIDE World Cup Goa 2025, securing his place in the Candidates. The final between Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov heads to a tiebreak after two draws
Hyderabad: The FIDE World Cup Goa 2025 final between GM Wei Yi and GM Javokhir Sindarov will head to a tiebreak after the players opted for a safe draw in the second game as well, while GM Andrey Esipenko ensured that at least one Russian will be part of the Candidates after beating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third-place play-off in Panaji on Tuesday.
In the clash for the coveted Viswanathan Anand Cup, Wei and Sindarov were not willing to take any risk. Having drawn the opening game with black, the Chinese player repeated the same line his opponent had used in the semi-final against Yakubboev and settled for a quick draw after the mandatory 30 moves.
The play-off for third place was a much livelier affair as Yakubboev took risks to find a win after losing the opening game against Esipenko on Monday.
But his strategy handed the initiative to Esipenko by the 11th move, and the Russian, representing FIDE, drove home the advantage and forced Yakubboev to resign after 26 moves.
“It feels good to have qualified for the Candidates. Today, it was a very difficult game to play at this stage. I could not even calculate anything. I was just putting my pieces in place. It was important to win the first game and then he needed a must win,” said Esipenko after qualifying for the Candidates.
