All posts tagged: Esipenko

Candidates challenger Andrey Esipenko and his love for Russian Premiership football team FC Rostov

Candidates challenger Andrey Esipenko and his love for Russian Premiership football team FC Rostov

Published by Webster

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 …

Full list of qualified players after Sindarov Wei Yi & Esipenko confirm qualification via FIDE World Cup

Full list of qualified players after Sindarov Wei Yi & Esipenko confirm qualification via FIDE World Cup

Published by Webster

With Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, China’s Wei Yi, and Russia’s Andrey Esipenko having qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2026, only two spots remain for the eight-player World Championship challenger event. The tournament is scheduled for Cyprus between March 28 and April 16, 2026. Sindarov, Wei Yi and Esipenko qualified via the FIDE World Cup 2025 route, having finished in the top three positions. They join previously qualified players Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, and Matthias Blübaum. Caruana secured his place by finishing atop the 2024 FIDE Circuit leaderboard, while Giri and Blübaum earned their berths by placing first and second, respectively, in the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss Open Section. This cycle presents a contrast for Indian chess. After three Indians — D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, and Vidit Gujrathi — qualified for the 2024 Toronto Candidates, no male Indian player has yet secured a spot for the 2026 edition. However, Praggnanandhaa is in a strong position on the 2025 FIDE Circuit leaderboard, currently holding a healthy lead of over 50 points against his closest rival, Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Although …

Russia’s Andrey Esipenko defeats Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev to book Candidates spot | Chess News

Russia’s Andrey Esipenko defeats Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev to book Candidates spot | Chess News

Published by Webster

A clinical Andrey Esipenko proved a touch too difficult for Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev to handle, as the Russian defeated him in both Classical games of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2025 third-place playoff in Goa. With this victory, Esipenko secured the third and final Candidates spot from the event on Tuesday. After beating Yakubboev with the white pieces in Game 1, Esipenko needed only a draw in Game 2 to qualify for the eight-player World Championship challenger event in Cyprus. With no option but to create magic over the board to force tiebreaks, Yakubboev seemed to try too hard. His desperation showed when he sacrificed a bishop on just the 11th move, a decision that instantly swung the game in the Russian’s favour. A few minutes and several accurate moves later, Esipenko had extinguished Yakubboev’s Candidates hopes, reducing them to a far-fetched dream. Although Yakubboev continued until the 26th move, he ultimately resigned in a mate-in-six position for Esipenko. An exhausted Esipenko seemed relieved after the much-needed win, following the heartbreak of his semifinal, where …

FIDE World Cup 2025: Andrey Esipenko secures bronze and Candidates spot

FIDE World Cup 2025: Andrey Esipenko secures bronze and Candidates spot

Published by Webster

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 secured a spot at the Candidates after beating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third place play-off 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 played the same line his opponent had opted for in the semi-final against Yakubboev and settled for a quick draw after the mandatory 30 moves. #News | Andrey Esipenko wins bronze at #FIDEWorldCup🥉 Competing under the neutral flag, Esipenko beats Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev 2-0 in the third-place match to secure a spot at the 2026 Candidates👏 The gold medal match between Javokhir Sindarov & Wei Yei will be… pic.twitter.com/UZ42amDoaT — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) November 25, 2025 The play-off for the third place was a much lively affair as Yakubboev took risks …

Candidates challenger Andrey Esipenko and his love for Russian Premiership football team FC Rostov

FIDE World Cup 2025: Andrey Esipenko rebounds after semifinal heartbreak, moves closer to Candidates spot | Chess News

Published by Webster

A quick turnaround is never easy, especially after a one-move blunder in a winning position costs you a chance to fight for the title. This was the reality for Russia’s Andrey Esipenko in the final round of the 2025 FIDE Chess World Cup in Goa. Following a brutal semifinal tiebreak loss to China’s Wei Yi, Esipenko had to immediately regroup to face Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev for the crucial third-place playoff. Esipenko rose to the challenge, striking back instantly to beat Yakubboev and take a crucial 1-0 lead on Monday. He is now just a draw away from becoming the sixth confirmed participant for the Candidates tournament. The Russian gained an early advantage with white pieces in the Sicilian Defense game after Yakubboev made two questionable moves – the dubious bishop placements on move 12 (12…Bd5?) and move 13 (13…Be7). These inaccuracies cost the Uzbek dearly, leaving him 30 minutes behind on the clock. Although Esipenko continued to grind and initiated exchanges, he lost the edge of his position. His saving grace was his significant time …

‘My sympathies are with victims in Ukraine, not Esipenko’: Peter Heine Nielsen tells Susan Polgar after Russian GM’s blunder | Chess News

‘My sympathies are with victims in Ukraine, not Esipenko’: Peter Heine Nielsen tells Susan Polgar after Russian GM’s blunder | Chess News

Published by Webster

Andrey Esipenko experienced heartbreak in the semi-finals of the FIDE World Cup on Sunday when he blundered a rook in the endgame of the second tiebreak match against China’s Wei Yi which resulted in a resignation from the Russian grandmaster. The result meant that Esipenko is now fighting against Uzbek chess grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third place match, which started on Monday to decide the fate of the third Candidates spot. In the aftermath of the defeat for Esipenko, chess legend Susan Polgar posted a compassionate tweet in favour of the Russian, who is competing at the Chess World Cup under the FIDE flag since the sport has prohibited players from showing symbols of Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. “Be nice, be kind! This was a devastating moment for Esipenko. It was a colossal blunder he will never forget. But don’t attack or make fun of this young man just because he is Russian. No one has to like him or support him. But be a decent human being,” Polgar posted on X. …