Elite chess explained, move by move
Dates
28 Mar — 16 Apr 2026
Location
Paphos, CY
Field
8 players
Format
Double round-robin
Time control
Classical
Rounds
14 · 14 played
Decisive
32%
Avg. rating
2749

Round 13 · 14 Apr 2026

Wei — Esipenko

The Matchup

White
Yi WeiCredit
🇨🇳CHN
4th · 7.0

Yi Wei

3 behind leader

Last 5 games½½W½
Elo2754

One of China's brightest stars, blending fearless complications, sharp calculation, and initiative that keeps elite opponents under pressure.

Games in this event →
1–0White wins
Black
Andrey EsipenkoCredit
🇷🇺RUS
8th · 4.5

Andrey Esipenko

5.5 behind leader

Last 5 games½½LL
Elo2698

A direct, tactical Russian grandmaster with a gift for turning small opening edges into sharp, double-edged battles.

Games in this event →

Head to head

Previous games in this event

Round 7: 0-1 · Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack. Read the annotated game →

Scroll to see the game

Key Moments

Petrov's Defense: Kaufmann Attack
BlackEsipenkoRUS2698
WhiteWeiCHN2754
+1
B
+0.2W

Classical factors on this position

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Checks, captures, and threats for the side to move

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The Moves

Other lines considered

From the crossroads before this move — engine and player perspectives.

Tempting traps

Rhe1h1e1
-0.9416%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD16% would play this move

The Maia model estimates how often 2200-rated players choose this move from this position.

What changed

Attacking
Threatening

Immediate impact

Critical reply

c4Critical

Critical line

After critical line

Black king under attack

White gets the main benefit, but white leaves more threats behind.

Engine & players agree

Playable moves worth considering here.

Nxc5b3c5
+1.4574%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD74% would play this move

The Maia model estimates how often 2200-rated players choose this move from this position.

What changed

Attacking
Defending
Threatening

Immediate impact

3 checking resources

Critical reply

Bc4Critical

Critical line

After critical line

Loses piece activity

Rce1c1e1
-0.643%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD3% would play this move

The Maia model estimates how often 2200-rated players choose this move from this position.

What changed

Attacking
Threatening

Immediate impact

Critical reply

d4Critical

Critical line

After critical line

Black king under attack

White gets the main benefit, but white leaves more threats behind.