The 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa produced one of its most dramatic finishes yet, as China’s Wei Yi and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov booked their places in the World Cup final—and with it, earned two of the three qualification spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Their victories were the culmination of tense, high-quality semifinal battles that showcased the newest wave of elite chess talent.
For both players, this result is career-defining: Wei Yi qualifies for his first Candidates after years of being considered one of the world’s biggest prodigies, while the 19-year-old Sindarov secures the first Candidates berth for Uzbekistan since the rise of its Olympic-winning generation.
And yet, the way they got there could not have been more different.
Wei Yi Advances After Esipenko’s Heartbreaking Blunder
The semifinal between Wei Yi (2754) and Andrey Esipenko (2693) will be remembered for years—not for a brilliant sacrifice or a deep strategic squeeze, but for a devastating tiebreak blunder that ended Esipenko’s tournament in a single move.
The classical portion of the match finished level, with both games drawn. Esipenko, confidently navigating the Petrov in the first game and the Rubinstein French in the second, even succeeded in neutralizing Wei’s normally dynamic style. The two headed into tiebreaks on even footing.
The first rapid game also ended in a draw, though not without tension. Esipenko missed a difficult winning line after 32…Be5, failing to find the powerful 33…Bd6! that would have left Wei in serious trouble. Instead, the game repeated moves.
But it was the second rapid game that decided everything—and in the most brutal way possible.
Playing an Italian Defense, Esipenko outplayed Wei in a long middlegame and entered a nearly winning position as both players approached severe time trouble. Around move 50, the Russian star appeared to have everything under control.
Then, disaster struck.
On move 56, after Wei played Ne3, Esipenko looked at his rook not once but twice—before inexplicably playing 56…c6??, simply forgetting that his rook on g2 was hanging. Wei instantly captured with 57.Nxg2, and Esipenko had no choice but to resign.
Just like that, the match was over: Wei Yi advanced 1.5–0.5 in tiebreaks, securing both a place in the World Cup final and his long-awaited qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
After the match, a visibly relieved Wei admitted:
“This is one of the biggest goals of my chess career. I didn’t expect to achieve it — I was so lucky in this tournament!”
Luck certainly played a part—but so did a decade of elite-level experience.
Sindarov Makes History for Uzbekistan
On the other side of the bracket, Javokhir Sindarov (2721) continued his rise as one of the world’s most promising young players. His semifinal was an all-Uzbek derby against Nodirbek Yakubboev (2689)—a clash loaded with both sporting and symbolic significance.
The first classical game ended in a balanced draw, with Yakubboev and Sindarov navigating a calm Four Knights setup that quickly simplified. It was a high-level, risk-free game typical of two compatriots who know each other very well.
The match then headed to rapid tiebreaks, and it was there that Sindarov struck.
In the first rapid game, playing Black in a Semi-Slav structure, Sindarov slowly tightened the screws in a queenless middlegame. His queenside pawns became unstoppable, and he converted the ending with impressive technique. His connected passers on the c- and b-files decided the game after the sequence beginning with 40.a4, culminating in the picturesque finish 46.e5 c3 47.Rd3 c2 0-1.
In the second rapid game, needing only a draw, Sindarov defended confidently and never allowed Yakubboev any winning chances. After a series of mass exchanges, the players agreed to a draw—sending Sindarov into the World Cup final and earning him a ticket to the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
The result is considered historic in Uzbekistan. Had Yakubboev defeated Esipenko in the third-place match, the country might even have sent two representatives to the Candidates—an extraordinary achievement for a nation whose chess program is only now reaching global prominence.
A Final That Symbolizes a New Generation
The World Cup’s final four said a lot about where elite chess is heading. None of the semifinalists—Wei Yi, Sindarov, Yakubboev, Esipenko—were in the world’s Top 10 at the time, yet each represents a new, rapidly rising generation with deep theoretical knowledge and strong nerves in fast time controls.
Wei Yi, now 26, has long been viewed as China’s next world championship hopeful, a prodigy who became a grandmaster at 13 and won the Tata Steel Masters in 2024. Sindarov, only 19, continues the Uzbek wave that began with the team’s 2022 Olympiad gold.
Their semifinal performances—and their qualification for the Candidates—signal a generational shift. The 2026 Candidates field already includes Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Matthias Blübaum, and Hikaru Nakamura. With Wei and Sindarov joining them, the race to challenge World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju will be more diverse and dynamic than ever.
Next Steps: The Candidates in Cyprus
The 2026 Candidates Tournament will be held from March 28 to April 16, 2026, in Pegeia, Cyprus, at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort. It will follow the traditional double round-robin format.
With Wei Yi and Sindarov now confirmed, the list of qualified players includes:
- Fabiano Caruana – FIDE Circuit (2024)
- Anish Giri – Grand Swiss winner (2025)
- Matthias Blübaum – Grand Swiss runner-up (2025)
- Hikaru Nakamura – Highest rating qualification
- Wei Yi – World Cup finalist
- Javokhir Sindarov – World Cup finalist
- Two spots remaining (World Cup 3rd place + 2025 FIDE Circuit winner)
The final ticket from the World Cup will be decided between Yakubboev and Esipenko.
I’m Xuan Binh, the founder of Attacking Chess, and the Deputy Head of Communications at the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF). My chess.com and lichess rating is above 2300. Send me a challenge or message via Lichess. Follow me on Twitter (X) or Facebook.
