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Journalism of Courage
With the ever-growing stakes at the FIDE World Cup 2025, sharing the spoils in the majority of the games as a pragmatic theme must not come as a surprise. Friday was no exception, as China’s Wei Yi and Russia’s Andrey Esipenko agreed to a draw after 33 moves in their semifinal Game 1. The all-Uzbek clash between Nodirbek Yakubboev and Javokhir Sindarov also ended in a truce after 30 moves.
Although the game between Yakubboev and Sindarov saw little drama, Wei Yi had to escape from a dangerous attack by Esipenko under time pressure. Esipenko, playing Black in a French Defense, executed a solid plan that kept the position sharp and forced Wei Yi into long thinks, leaving the Chinese grandmaster with significantly less time on the clock.
Wei Yi responded with evasive manoeuvres to counter Esipenko’s mounting pressure on both flanks. Coordinating his knight, rook, and bishop in harmony, he assisted his white queen in steering the game toward an equal endgame with level material.
Esipenko will rue this missed opportunity and will hope to avoid the fate of India’s Arjun Erigaisi, who previously let Wei Yi escape only to be defeated in the shorter time control. Esipenko can take some hope from having the white pieces on Saturday, but given Wei Yi’s resilient defence and current form, a draw would still be an excellent result for him.
The match between two good friends, Sindarov and Yakubboev, began with a beaming, hard-to-hide smile from the latter. The evaluation bar barely moved as both players maintained over 99.3% accuracy, ensuring they remain equally in the hunt for a Candidates spot and a berth in the finals. This all-Uzbek clash also guarantees that one prodigy from the chess-loving nation of Uzbekistan will represent their country in the 2026 World Championship challenger event.
Wei Yi (CHN) drew with Andrey Esipenko (RUS) 0.5-0.5; Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) 0.5-0.5
