At first glance, the results of Game 2 of the FIDE Chess World Cup semifinals on Saturday might just resemble Friday’s Game 1s. But when one looks closely, it becomes clear that they could not have been more different.
While the Uzbeks – Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Yakubboev – treaded cautiously and settled for a peaceful draw, just like their previous game, the battle between China’s Wei Yi and Russia’s Andrey Esipenko was far more competitive.
Eventually, however, the fate of both semifinals will be decided in tiebreaks.
On Board 1, the intentions of Yakubboev and Sindarov were clear from the start. They went for a well-known ‘Four Knights’ opening, avoiding any complications. The pair did not shy away from exchanging pieces right from the beginning, and by the 21st move, they had already traded all but one minor piece. In a dead-equal game with identical pawn structures and light-squared bishops, the compatriots completed the formality of reaching 30 moves before mutually agreeing to take the clash to the shorter tiebreaks.
Having missed a chance to seal Game 1 with black pieces, Esipenko opted for Petrov’s Defense. By the 12th move, he had exchanged a knight and a bishop to secure a strong bishop pair, a scenario Grandmaster Judit Polgar, commenting for chess.com, described as “a dream scenario for Esipenko” out of the opening.
Trying to build an initiative, the Russian forced Wei Yi to use more time on the clock. After the exchange of Black’s dark-square bishop for a white knight on the 12th move, there were no more trades until move 27, when rook batteries from both sides faced off on the e-file.
Wei Yi had under five minutes left to make 12 moves and reach the time control, but Esipenko had to settle for a draw after failing to find a direct threat to pierce the Chinese player’s defence.
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On Sunday, the two winners will secure a spot in the finals and confirm their place in the 2026 Candidates tournament. The losers will face each other in the third-place playoff for the last remaining spot in the Candidates, set to be played in Cyprus.
Results:
Wei Yi (CHN) drew with Andrey Esipenko (RUS) (aggregated 1.0-1.0); Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) (aggregated 1.0-1.0).
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
