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

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.

This got a response from Magnus Carlsen’s long-time coach Peter Heine Nielsen, who has also helped Viswanathan Anand win his five World Chess Championship titles.

“Dear Susan, while I do feel pity for him (Esipenko) as a chess player, as a human being, I have to say no. My sympathies are with the victims (in Ukraine), not with one who attends the premiere as part of the Russian Chess Federation delegation to a war movie glorifying the attack on Mariupol,” Nielsen retorted.

Nielsen’s post was a reference to Esipenko attending the screening of a war movie in Russia (about the invasion by Russian troops of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol) and the Russian grandmaster signing a 10-year deal with the Russian chess federation of Russia, that Nielsen said had close ties to Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.

Meanwhile, after the heartbreak on Sunday with the rook blunder which resulted in the defeat, Esipenko managed to defeat Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev with the white pieces in the first classical games, which helps him plant a firm foot in the door for the final Candidates spot.