3 min readMar 20, 2026 12:23 PM IST
He might’ve snuck into the chess Candidates at the last moment finishing third at the World Cup. But Andrey Esipenko ensured that at least one Russian represented the plateauing powerhouse of chess, after Ian Nepomniatchi couldn’t make the grade. At Elo 2698, he’s dropped from his peak with 2723 in March 2022, but he is ranked World No 33 (again down from 22 in March 2022).
Esipenko nevertheless lines up at Cyprus, alongside seven others, with Americans Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura as favourites, and Indian R Praggnanandhaa and Chinese Wei Yi as dark horses.
Recently married at 23, and a lover of travel, Esipenko has found the going not-so-easy in chess, after he became GM at age 16. There’s no dearth of competitive spirit in him, as he rejoices in wins over arch rivals that he dubs “eliminating.”
In true Russian Lev Yashin-tradition, he also takes immense pride in his goalkeeping abilities on a football patch of a field. In December of 2021 in fact, he attended training with FC Rostov, and declared he was ready to don the big GigiBuff-like gloves.
“Attended the FC Rostov training! It was a pleasure to meet and talk to the head coach of the team Vitaly Vitalievich Kafanov and the players of the team! I also tested my strength as a goalkeeper,” he wrote on Insta. “…it turned out I am ready to fight for a place at the base of almost any club. Good luck in the season!”
The comments section was filled with fans telling “Sanya” (his nick) to be careful about not hurting his hands. “Chess players need beautiful hands,” fans wrote, about the aesthetic value of carpels that move chess pieces. Others quizzed him about what he thought of the fate of Arsenal – and if they would win Champions League, a question that remains relevant in 2026. It was also an opportunity to take barbs at the national goalkeeper, and hype up club player Gamula.
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In the video, Esipenko is seen diving left and right like a pro, blocking gently hit shots, but with good technique in recovery, and getting back on feet for the follow-up rebound. His under-gloves also have foam-blocker guards on the knuckles to not break his hand when punching out the ball.
Esipenko started following FC Rostov since the time Kurban Berdyev dragged the team out of relegation zone in the Russian Premier League in 2014 and catapulted them into Champions League with a top defensive tactical style eventually.
The chess challenger would strike the symbolic kick for a Rostov vs Spartak match, joking, “The main thing is that I hit the ball after all,” after his technique was called sloppy for getting his feet tangled.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
