FIDE World Cup 2025: Wei Yi and Sindarov set for tiebreak, Esipenko secures Candidates spot

The FIDE World Cup Goa 2025 final between Grandmasters Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov will be decided in a tiebreak after both players played for a draw in the second game. Having drawn the opening match, the Chinese GM Wei Yi mirrored Sindarov's semi-final strategy against Nodirbek Yakubboev, resulting in another quick draw after 30 moves.

Meanwhile, the third-place playoff between Andrey Esipenko and Nodirbek Yakubboev was a much more dynamic affair. Esipenko had taken the first game, and Yakubboev aimed to level the score by taking risks in the second. However, his aggressive play backfired by the 11th move, allowing the Russian GM to seize control of the game. Esipenko capitalised on the mistakes and forced Yakubboev to resign after 26 moves.

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“I’m thrilled to have secured a place in the Candidates,” Esipenko was quoted as saying after his victory. “It was a challenging match, especially at this stage. I couldn't calculate much and just focused on positioning my pieces. Winning the first game was crucial, as Yakubboev had to win the second to keep his chances alive.” Esipenko’s win ensures at least one Russian will be in the Candidates Tournament, while the World Cup final remains undecided with the tiebreaks on the horizon.

On Monday (November 24), China’s GM Wei Yi delivered another steady performance with the black pieces, holding GM Javokhir Sindarov to a draw in the opening game of the FIDE World Cup 2025 final. In the battle for third place, GM Andrey Esipenko prevailed over GM Nodirbek Yakubboev.

Wei once again chose the Petrov Defence, encouraging Sindarov to push for imbalance in search of a win. The strategy nearly paid off for the Chinese grandmaster, who entered a bishop-and-pawn endgame with a slight edge. However, Sindarov navigated the complications accurately, and the players eventually agreed to a draw after 50 moves. In the third-place encounter, Yakubboev employed the Sicilian Defence but soon found himself in trouble during the middlegame, needing precise play to stay afloat.