Wei Yi has every reason to be happy out of the opening. More space on the queenside, and also setting up some concrete threats straight away!
Stepping out of the x-ray.
This approach is looking unconvincing. If Wei Yi takes the knight in the center, then he can start pushing forward with his pawn straight away with gain of time. Awkward piece setup here for Sindarov!
Wei Yi spots the right idea, and will no doubt keep pushing the pawn next.
The problem is that now the queen is hit, but after that Wei Yi is ready to keep pushing the pawn and lock out the dark-squared bishop.
No reason to hesitate for Wei Yi. Momentum, better position, time advantage. Everything in favor of the Chinese grandmaster right now!
This move creates serious problems for Sindarov. His queen can't easily continue to guard the knight.
Sindarov down a piece, but the good news for him is that the dust hasn't settled just yet. Wei Yi needs to coordinate his forces and parry the initiative, if he wants to bring home the full point.
What a forgivable mistake here by Wei Yi. The computer flashes equality here in spite of the extra piece, but the path to staying alive is incredibly narrow for Sindarov. He should start by threatening mate next move!
Sindarov fails to capitalize on this sliver of a chance that Wei Yi handed him. Now Wei Yi can coordinate his pieces much better!
The dust is beginning to settle here, and Sindarov has little to show for the missing piece now.
Stepping out of any dangerous pins.
The knight has become a monster. Wei Yi looking to 'clean things up' now.
Disappointment for the Uzbek grandmaster. He lost a piece in messy complications right out of the gates, and with under 1 minute on the clock against Wei Yi's extra piece and nearly three minutes up on time. A huge start for the Chinese grandmaster!
Anyone's match!
A fascinating match-up here for the Group C Elimination Match. In the one corner, we've got Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi. Besides being the highest rated Chinese player, ahead of former World Champion Ding Liren, he also boasts the record of the youngest ever player to reach 2700. He's the only player to hit this milestone at 15, besting the likes of Magnus or Gukesh who did so a few months later aged 16.
Now 26, he is a veteran by the standards of the day. And he'll be facing the up-and-coming grandmaster from Uzbekistan, Javokhir Sindarov, who could well have come out on top in his match against Hikaru Nakamura had he not stumbled in the time scramble and fallen into a checkmating net from a winning position with just seconds left on his clock!
The format continues to be unforgiving, and a game 1 defeat has proven to be incredibly difficult to bounce back from so far. Let's see who is able to handle the tension the best, as these two sharp tacticians do battle to stay alive at the Esports World Cup!