The players repeat their moves from the last game, where Esipenko had white. At this point, Nepo switches it up, trying to avoid getting the same horrendous position he got last time around!
Once again, Nepo remains a pawn up, but Esipenko has managed to get very active pieces and can now choose to prevent Nepo from getting his king to safety.
This is once again looking promising for Esipenko, but he needs to find a way to break through!
Esipenko manages to win his pawn back, but Nepo succeeds in getting his king to safety. Play remains complex, but Nepo seems to have stabilized for now.
Nepo is now the one with a pawn less, but Nepo is relying on the fact that Esipenko's far-advanced pawn will become a weakness that can later be picked up.
Nepo seems to have the position under control, and it's not clear how Esipenko will be able to generate and attack.
The material balance has been restored, and Nepo is left with a very solid position that seems easily defendable. He has all his weaknesses covered, and Esipenko is left without any clear plans to move forward.
Esipenko needs to keep the queens on the board to generate attacking chances, and Nepo abuses this fact by offering trades. Esipenko is forced to retreat with his queen, and Nepo now is the one taking over the initiative.
Esipenko goes for a pawn break on the kingside, now trying to open up against Nepo's king. Esipenko is down in material but has managed to generate some counterplay to keep him in the game.
Esipenko attempts to abuse Nepo's weak dark squares, while Nepo tries to trade more pieces to make the attack less dangerous.
With such little pieces left and being down a pawn, things are looking grim for Esipenko. Nepo only needs a draw, and it's now incredibly difficult to envision Esipenko to find a way to keep play going.
After swindling his way into an armageddon tiebreaker, Nepo managed to keep up his speed and strong play, knocking Esipenko out of the tournament!
A devastating match loss from Esipenko, who was one move away from upsetting Nepo for the second time in a row! Instead, it's Nepo who advanced to the final bracket, demonstrating to the world that you can never count him out!
Nepo wins the bid and will be playing with the black pieces in armageddon!
Esipenko now has to win on demand to secure his spot in the playoffs. Having lost in a completely winning position in the last game, Esipenko needs to reset to be able to maintain his tournament chances!