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 14 · 15 Apr 2026

Esipenko — Caruana

The Matchup

White
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 →
0–1Black wins
Black
Fabiano CaruanaCredit
🇺🇸USA
3rd · 7.5

Fabiano Caruana

2.5 behind leader

Last 5 games½½½W
Elo2795

A principled calculator with world-championship match experience, known for deep opening preparation and clean technical pressure.

Games in this event →

Head to head

Previous games in this event

Round 6: 1/2-1/2 · English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined. Read the annotated game →

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Key Moments

Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation
BlackCaruanaUSA2795
WhiteEsipenkoRUS2698
B
+0.1W

Classical factors on this position

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Select a category to see details.

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

b5b7b5
+0.9736%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD36% would play this move

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

What changed

Attacking
Threatening
Board structure

Immediate impact

Engine & players agree

Playable moves worth considering here.

Nbd7b8d7
+0.7214%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD14% would play this move

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

What changed

Threatening
Board structure

Immediate impact

Bg5 is active

Hard to spot

Bd7c8d7
+0.264%

MAIA 2200

PLAYER LIKELIHOOD4% would play this move

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

What changed

Threatening
Board structure

Immediate impact

h6h7h6
+0.313%

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
Board structure

Immediate impact

Critical reply

Be3Critical

Critical line

After critical line

Allows concrete threats

More active pieces for Black