"We can compete for the first place at the Chess Olympiad"

Andrey Esipenko was one step away from entering the 2024 Candidates tournament in Toronto, but missed out on a ticket in the last round of the "Big Swiss 2023". In the next qualifying round, the 23-year-old Russian still achieved his goal, performing brilliantly at the 2025 World Cup. Now he has to compete for the right to play a match for the chess crown against the 18th world champion Gukesh Dommaraja.

The Cyprus tournament (March 28 – April 16) will bring together the strongest competitors. Among the main favorites are the experienced Fabiano Caruana, the winner of the 2018 Candidates tournament in Berlin, and Rameshbab Pragnanandha, who gained valuable experience at the last candidates tournament and has a powerful coaching team. However, it is also not worth writing off the Russian grandmaster.

In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Esipenko spoke about his mood for the tournament and his desire to play for the national team at the World Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.

"I can't say that I respect anyone more or less"

— Alexander Tkachev, Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation, noted that after entering the candidates tournament, you planned to hold three training camps. The last one is in full swing right now. No fatigue?

— In principle, no. The Aeroflot Open tournament has passed, but I still have a lot of energy left for training camps. I have the energy and desire to work, everything is in order.

— At the Moscow open, you couldn't show all your achievements, did you play with enough restraint?

— I can't reveal all the secrets. (He smiles.) There was an interesting time control — the "new classic", 60 minutes + 30 seconds — this also played a special role. The challenger tournament will be held according to classical control (120 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an additional 30 seconds for each move, starting from the 41st. — Ed.).

— Plus, there were two tours a day. Are you calm about this?

— In principle, it's fine. It feels different, the tournament ends faster than usual. When there is one batch per day, the start turns out to be stretched. A lot of nerves are wasted. When there are two games, the tournament flies by unnoticed. In this regard, this is a plus.

— Is there any increased excitement about the upcoming start in Cyprus?

— On the contrary, I am very encouraged. I can't wait to start the candidates tournament and try to show my best chess. After all, it has been a dream and a goal for many years.

— In January, the two-time winner of the candidates tournament, Jan Nepomnyashchy, analyzed in detail the chances of the candidates tournament participants and, when talking about you, noted that it was very important to treat the candidates tournament as simply as possible. Don't think about the fact that this is the main tournament of your career.

"That's sound advice. I will try very hard to just focus on high-quality moves and make the most of my achievements. I will tell you after the tournament whether I will be able to completely abstract myself from unnecessary thoughts and have fun.

"The Russian national team can compete for medals at the 2026 Olympics"

Chess player Yan Nepomnyashchy — about his victory at the Aeroflot Open, his desire to improve his rating and still become a world champion

— Who are you in the "plus" of the upcoming rivals?

— If we take into account online and offline tournaments, then, perhaps, only with Caruana. With Giri and Nakamura, I have a minus. I remember that Hikaru lost two games at the Berlin Grand Prix back in 2022. That was a long time ago, so let's not count it. (Laughs.) The score is about equal with the rest. It is clear that it is very important to start the tournament well. The first rounds will play a big role (Esipenko will start black with Javokhir Sindarov, and in the second round he will play white with Nakamura. — Ed.).

— According to the composition, you said that the candidates tournament is even, although on paper Matthias Blubaum seems to be beaten out.

— Actually, I wouldn't even write off Mattias either. If he doesn't win, he can seriously rattle the nerves of the favorites. But in general, the composition is even.: Anyone can shoot. That's why I can't say that I respect anyone more or less - everyone is on about the same level.

"I dream of winning the World Chess Olympiad"

— Is it important for you to qualify for the Esports World Cup this year?

— I have such a goal, but I'm not close to it yet. It's not up to that yet. I missed several qualifying tournaments due to my participation in the Aeroflot Open, and I will miss it due to the candidates tournament, but I will try to score the necessary points if possible. I would like to repeat last year's experience.

— Is the Chess Olympiad, if our national team is allowed there, the main start of the season after the candidates tournament?

— Yes, because I love all tournaments related to national teams. Since childhood, I have tried not to miss all the football and hockey World Cups, and I have watched all the Olympics. When I started playing chess and my first successes came, I began to dream of playing and winning the World Chess Olympiad. I hope they'll let us in this year.

— What is the most memorable tournament for the national team?

— The Team World Cup in 2021, which, unfortunately, we did not play very well. He also played in a number of other tournaments, for example, in the Russia–China match, but that one still stands apart.

— All the top players should come to the Olympics, and the teams from the USA and India are likely to be the favorites. Are we going to fight for the top 3?

— We can do it for the first one. If we assemble the optimal squad, if all the strongest are in good shape, we have a chance to win.

— Do you feel the support of your loved ones at such an important moment in your career?

- of course. Everyone who is nearby understands the situation and is rooting for me. I am glad to have such close friends and such a strong family. I would like to say a big thank you to my personal sponsor Harutyun Armenakovich Surmalyan, the Russian Chess Federation and the Virtus Pro team. They help and support a lot.

— Do you follow esports? Do you have a favorite discipline?

— I don't have much time for this right now, but I want to figure it out in the future.