Wei Yi will hope that in the long run, his extra queenside space may allow him to pressure Esipenko.
Supporting the center and making way for the light-squared bishop to enter the game.
Beginning to get the remaining minor pieces into the game.
Typical 'Italian Game' play
Wei Yi has opted for one of the most flexible and well-developed opening systems in chess. It's the gold standard for when an elite player wants to get a game, within king's pawn positions.
By vacating that square with the bishop, Wei Yi sets up a possible knight jump, which would gain time by hitting the enemy bishop immediately.
Jumping towards a strong central square, with an immediate hit on the enemy bishop.
Esipenko drops back, avoiding the threat of knight takes bishop.
Wei Yi wants to immediately trade off Esipenko's strongest piece.
Esipenko returns the favor, as he seeks to rid Wei Yi of his strong light-squared bishop.
Esipenko's rook is slightly misplaced here, so he'll probably have to spend another tempo soon to correct this.
Esipenko returns the rook to a better square, from where it's connected with the other heavy pieces.
Wei Yi takes aim at the advanced light square near the center, where he has the strongest grip.
Both players remain in the early stages of the middlegame, with typical piece maneuvers being the hallmark of this part of the game. Esipenko drops his knight back to transfer it to the kingside, while also preparing to control more of the center.
Slightly overambitious?
It makes sense to post the knight on such an aggressive square, but now Wei Yi has lost some control over the center. This gives Esipenko an opportunity to time a pawn break and equalize on the spot.
Well-spotted, and now he no longer has any disadvantage in terms of the battle for the center. It's a dynamic equality here, so Esipenko has survived the opening battle.
The best practical try
A nice retort by Wei Yi, as he immediately forces Esipenko to a decision with his central pawn. Plus, he's grabbing a bit more space on the queenside.
A strong reaction from Esipenko, who recognizes that he can line up his queen to pressure Wei Yi's fragile central pawn.
Defending the pawn.
The king move looks mysterious, but Esipenko's idea is that he wants to challenge the open file. But had he done so immediately, there would have been a combination after a rook trade. There would then have been knight takes pawn in the center, since Esipenko could not have played knight takes knight in return (due to a fork against king and queen). That is why Esipenko moved his king.
Shutting out Esipenko's knight.
Wei Yi wants to make sure that if Esipenko trades rooks, then he will remain with control over the open file all the same.
Now that Esipenko managed to trade one pair of rooks, he returns his king to a safer square.
This piece had no forward jumps from its previous square, so Wei Yi is looking to reroute it.
It's understandable that Esipenko wanted to simplify the position, but Wei Yi has correctly recognized that this endgame offers him some chances to try and squeeze out the full point!
Esipenko's configuration is a bit shaky here. His central knight covers against Wei Yi's invasion. His other knight defends this piece. While both of Wei Yi's knights look threatening.
This move feels a little unconvincing, as now Wei Yi's structure is less stable. That's something Esipenko might make use of in the future.
Wei Yi is likely aiming to invade with his knight in the center, in order to target Esipenko's undefended pawn.
Anticipating that this is the pawn that is likely to come under attack soon.
Another disadvantage of Wei Yi having pushed the pawn chain quite far up the board is that he left himself with a weak square that Esipenko can hope to make use of for his knights.
Esipenko has outplayed his opponent in the past series of moves, and now it's Wei Yi who has the more fragile position. He risks his structure being overextended, and so he will likely start thinking about how to bail out and guide this one into a quiet draw from here.
A safe choice, overprotecting the center and preparing to bring the king into the game.
Both players appear to be guiding this one towards a draw. Now Esipenko can push his pawn to defend the knight, when soon we should have a dead equal rook and pawn endgame.
Jumping the knight forward seems tempting here, as it will cut out a lot of dangerous looking moves for Esipenko. But it could lead to a fast trade of knights, and perhaps a rather quiet endgame. Does Wei Yi want to keep the fight alive??
Something that Wei Yi has to watch out for is a well-timed pawn sacrifice, as that could destabilize his central pawn.
This seems a slight practical mistake. Now Esipenko can take over the file and temporarily sacrifice a pawn. He has the more stable structure, and thus the better winning chances!
Esipenko spots it, forcing a sequence that should leave him with a very slight pull.
Wei Yi has to be very careful here. His pawns are less safe, his king is also more exposed.
It's the perfect moment for Esipenko to try and seize the initiative, by driving his knight towards the central outpost with gain of time against the rook.
The problem of Wei Yi's advanced structure has been revealed, and now his more fragile pawns are getting hoovered up quickly. Esipenko with real chances to press for a win from here!
This is a mistake, just when Wei Yi had been offered a lifeline. Now Esipenko can look to take another pawn and will for sure emerge at least one pawn to the good. But will it be enough to win?
Wei Yi is extremely close to holding the balance here, but blunders are very likely. One significant mistake, and he could lose the match!
This is the big mistake that Esipenko knew would be quite likely. But it's hard to capitalize on it as he will need to be extremely precise.
Esipenko immediately throws away his winning advantage. Now the king is going to be easy to check, when the central pawn should fall!
Esipenko hangs his rook!
Esipenko forgets about his rook in the heat of the time scramble. That's it, from a winning position two moves ago he makes back-to-back blunders. The first cost him all of his advantage, while the second one could cost him a seat at the 2026 Candidates tournament.
Heartbreak for the young Russian grandmaster, as he will now face Nodirbek Yakkuboev for his final chance at Candidates qualification.
Congratulations to Wei Yi, who posted a gritty defense and kept his chances alive right up to the very end. He is through to tomorrow's final, where he will face Javokhir Sindarov to determine the winner of the 2025 FIDE World Cup. Crucially, both of these players are now guaranteed a place in the Candidates tournament, meaning that we will see them vying for a shot at facing off against Gukesh Dommaraju for the highest title in chess: the World Championship!
Hope to see you again tomorrow, when we'll be providing live analysis of both the final and the match for bronze (and, most significantly, the final seat at the Candidates).
Can Wei Yi break down Esipenko's defenses?
So far, it's been the Chinese player who has appeared to be the more solid of the two in the rapid portion. He effortlessly equalized before then outplaying Esipenko in a complex rook and bishop endgame.
Esipenko will be somewhat relieved to have come away with a split of the point, as he now looks to keep things solid from the Black side and try to take the match to the second set of rapid games.
Of course, we've seen time and again how players from the White side can frequently overextend, with Arjun Erigaisi falling to Wei Yi at exactly this point of their quarterfinals match.
Wei Yi will have to tow the line between ambition and recklessness. If he doesn't, Esipenko might be able to deliver an unlikely knock-out blow here and now!