World Cup: Esipenko wins again, gets last Candidates spot

All Candidates spots (almost) decided

Andrey Esipenko secured a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament after defeating Nodirbek Yakubboev 2–0 in the match for third place at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. The 23-year-old from Novocherkassk thus became the sixth player to officially qualify for next year’s elite event, joining Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Matthias Bluebaum, Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov. The two remaining Candidates places are effectively decided as well: Hikaru Nakamura is almost certain to qualify by rating, while Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is the overwhelming favourite to secure the 2025 FIDE Circuit spot.

Esipenko’s triumph was especially notable given his heartbreaking semifinal exit against Wei Yi on Sunday, when a single oversight turned a promising position into a sudden defeat. He admitted afterwards that he felt “really bad”, but a restorative evening helped him reset mentally before the crucial match for third place.

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The Russian grandmaster, who rose to global attention after defeating Magnus Carlsen in their first-ever classical encounter at the 2021 Tata Steel Masters, has hovered between 2671 and 2723 on the rating list ever since.

More recently, his standout performance came at the 2024 Qatar Masters, where he finished outright first with 7½/9 points, ahead of world-class opposition including Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Parham Maghsoodloo. His consistency and depth of preparation have gained him the right to fight for the right to face Gukesh Dommaraju in the next match for the World Championship crown.

2026 Candidates participants

A fan taking a selfie with the new Candidate, Andrey Esipenko | Photo: Michal Walusza

In Tuesday’s rematch, Yakubboev, needing a win with the white pieces to stay alive, steered the game into a structure reminiscent of the Catalan. He surprised many observers by giving up his important light-squared bishop to gain a pawn on the long diagonal.

The decision backfired immediately, as the capture allowed Esipenko to unveil a striking tactical idea based on …b7-b5, disrupting White’s coordination.

From there, the Russian handled the complications accurately, continuing to increase the pressure and highlighting his opponent’s structural weaknesses. His elegant 24…Nc1 was a great-looking move, which accelerated the collapse of White’s position.

Yakubboev resigned soon after, concluding the match with a clean sweep for Esipenko. Replay the full game below, with annotations by GM Karsten Müller.

In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves

Andrey Esipenko playing black against Nodirbek Yakubboev | Photo: Michal Walusza

In the final itself, the second classical game between Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov ended in a very short 30-move draw. With a calm and balanced struggle producing no real winning chances for either player, the 2025 World Cup title will now be decided in Wednesday’s rapid tiebreaks — and, if necessary, blitz and Armageddon.

A short draw as a prelude to a deciding tiebreaker session on Wednesday – finalists Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: Michal Walusza

All games – Final and match for third place

Replay games from all rounds at Live.ChessBase.com