5 months ago
2
Life is simply a large leveller. Ask Wei Yi.
He came backmost from the dormant successful the Chess World Cup semifinal against Andrey Esipenko. It was a unspeakable blunder from the Russian that saved him, and enactment him successful the final, and besides successful the Candidates.
Luck seemed to proceed to favour the seventh effect from China successful the last connected Wednesday against Javokhir Sindarov. But not for long: Wei’s blunder gave the 19-year-old Uzbek a triumph successful the 2nd tie-break crippled and the World Cup. He is the youngest champion successful World Cup history.
In the archetypal tie-break crippled astatine Resort Rio, Wei had made a unspeakable mistake with a pawn propulsion connected the king-side connected the 30th move, putting Sindarov successful a perchance winning position. But his hostile blundered successful instrumentality straightaway with his ain ill-judged pawn propulsion connected the aforesaid flank, and the game, which had reached a bishop-ending from Queen’s Gambit Defence, petered retired to a gully successful 45 moves.
Soon aft the game, Sindarov’s 2nd showed him however helium had missed a win. “I was precise sad, but didn’t privation to deliberation astir it, arsenic I had to play different game,” helium would admit later. “I thought if I got a accidental similar successful the second, I would marque usage of it.”
He did.
In that 2nd game, an Italian one, Wei blundered with his rook connected the 51st move, and Sindarov pounced connected it. Such a blunder nether clip unit – with thing similar 20 seconds remaining - is not uncommon and it wouldn’t person been casual to find the close series of moves, involving a rook sacrifice, to get equality.
And this was Wei’s archetypal decision successful the tournament; helium had remained unbeaten successful 27 games. And Sindarov had offered him a draw, which helium had refused.
Life is similar that, of course.
The effect (final, tie-breaks): Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) bt Wei Yi (Chn) 1.5-0.5.
