What a showdown! Chinese mainland's top seed Wei Yi clinched a spot in the Chess World Cup final in Goa today after edging Russian wunderkind Andrey Esipenko in a tense rapid tiebreak match. ♟️😲
After two cautious draws in the classical games, the semifinal shifted to rapid tiebreaks earlier today. Holding the black pieces, Wei Yi held Esipenko to a draw in the first game before flipping the board in the second 57-move slug with white. It felt over when Esipenko was two pawns up in a rook-and-knight endgame, but a fatal miscalculation by the Russian gifted Wei a material swing and the decisive edge.
This victory makes Wei the second player from the Chinese mainland to ever reach the final of the Men's Chess World Cup, following Ding Liren, who was runner-up in 2017 and 2019. He's also the third player from the Chinese mainland to qualify for the 2026 World Championship Candidates Tournament, joining Ding and Wang Hao. 🎉
Up next, Wei Yi will face Uzbekistan's rising star Javokhir Sindarov in a final showdown kicking off today and running through November 26. Stay tuned as two generations clash for the ultimate crown! 👑
Don't miss the action as Wei Yi and Sindarov battle for glory in Goa! 🍿
Reference(s):
China's Wei edges Esipenko to reach final at Chess World Cup in India
cgtn.com
