 "Wei Yi and Javokhir Sindarov will play a tiebreak to decide the winner. Image: FIDE")
The FIDE World Cup 2025 final between GM Wei Yi and GM Javokhir Sindarov will head to a tiebreak after the players opted for a safe draw in the second game as well in Goa on November 25. GM Andrey Esipenko, on the other hand, ensured that at least one Russian will be part of the Candidates after beating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev in the third-place playoff on Tuesday.
In the clash for the coveted Viswanathan Anand Cup, Wei and Sindarov were not willing to take any risk. Having drawn the opening game with black, the Chinese played the same line his opponent had opted for in the semi-final against Yakubboev and settled for a quick draw after the mandatory 30 moves.
Esipenko takes the final Candidates spot
The playoff for third place was a livelier affair as Yakubboev took risks to find a win after losing the opening game against Esipenko on Monday. But his strategy handed the initiative to Esipenko by the 11th move and the Russian, representing FIDE, drove home the advantage and forced Yakubboev to resign after 26 moves.
“It feels good to have qualified for the Candidates. Today, it was a very difficult game to play at this stage. I could not even calculate anything. I was just putting my pieces in place. It was important to win the first game and then he needed a must win,” said Esipenko after qualifying for the Candidates.
Meanwhile, the final tiebreaks between Wei Yi and Sindarov will begin on Wednesday, November 26 at 3:00 PM IST. While Wei is looking to become the first Chinese to win the World Cup, Sindarov is eyeing the youngest-ever winners tag. It will be interesting to see who eventually takes the $1,20,000 (Rs 1 crore approx) prize money home.