NEW DELHI: The last game of Wei Yi’s first Candidates Tournament lasted 32 moves. Javokhir Sindarov had already clinched the title and the right to challenge India’s Dommaraju Gukesh in the upcoming World Championship match; Wei Yi had nothing left to chase. And subsequently, neither player pressed for a win, and the game ended in a draw after roughly ten minutes.China’s Wei Yi, who more recently clinched an individual gold on Board 2 in the open section of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, does not dress things up when you ask the Chinese No. 1 how he felt when his first Candidates Tournament ended in Cyprus. There is no talk of glory or regret.“My first feeling was that I was extremely tired,” the Grandmaster told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction. “I remember taking a long rest after the final round. It was a relief that the tournament was finally over.”For a game that involves little physical activity, with players seated across a board and moving pieces, the admission might seem unusual to some. But the remark points to something the sport rarely acknowledges openly.At the highest level, the game of 64 squares is far from a comfortable place to be.“It was my first Candidates Tournament, and playing 14 classical games in such an intense atmosphere, against opponents of such a high standard, was certainly not easy,” he added.
Fourteen games, ten draws
On paper, the 2758-rated Grandmaster had a steady rather than spectacular debut in Cyprus, including two wins, two losses, ten draws, 7/14, and a fourth-place finish.Sindarov finished on 10, Anish Giri on 8.5, and Fabiano Caruana on 7.5. Wei Yi finished ahead of Hikaru Nakamura (6.5) and Praggnanandhaa (6).He had earned his seat by beating Andrey Esipenko in the Goa World Cup semi-final, and he opened with draws against fellow debutant Matthias Bluebaum and Praggnanandhaa.
The damage came in rounds three and six. Caruana beat him in 19 moves, the game he singles out. Sindarov, playing him in classical for the first time, won a queen-and-rook endgame under time pressure, his fourth straight victory on the way to a runaway finish.Both of Wei Yi’s wins came against Esipenko, in rounds seven and 13. In the second, a sharp Petroff, he admitted he had been lucky to survive the opening.“Looking back, I’m not particularly satisfied with my overall performance,” he explained. “I think I could have played better in several games, especially my game against Fabiano Caruana, possibly the one from the third round.”“That said, I was also somewhat fortunate during the tournament. In at least three games, my position became very difficult after the first time control. My opponents were probably tired as well, and they made some mistakes during the second time control.”Those were his draws against Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa and Giri. Fatigue, in other words, cuts both ways.
Why players step away
Few know that toll better than his countryman Ding Liren. Ding became China’s first undisputed world champion in April 2023. After a poor showing in Romania that May, he took nine months away from tournaments, citing a struggle with depression. He lost the title to India’s Gukesh in December 2024, then played no classical games in 2025. In April this year, he resurfaced at the Chinese Team Championship and scored 4/5.Speaking to this website on the sidelines of the Global Chess League in Bengaluru, where he was playing for Triveni Continental Kings, Wei Yi assessed the overall situation with Liren.
“I think the circumstances behind our respective breaks were somewhat different,” Wei, who also took a break due to his studies some years ago, added.“I went to university, and the COVID-19 pandemic happened to begin around the same time. I felt it was a good opportunity because there weren’t many tournaments taking place,” he continued. “But I continued participating in major events, such as the Grand Prix.”“Regardless of who it is, I understand why a player might want to take some time off to rest and regain their form,” he shared. “As a professional chess player myself, I know the pressure players face during tournaments. The pressure can be enormous, especially when you reach the highest level.”
‘Hope chess becomes as famous in China as it is in India’
Wei Yi has been visiting India since 2014, when he played the World Youth Championship in Pune.“I’ve visited India many times, so many that I’ve probably lost count,” he said with a smile. “Since then, I’ve also visited Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai and Kolkata. When I list them all, I’ve actually been to quite a few Indian cities.“I think all the cities I’ve visited have been very nice, and the organisers of the tournaments I’ve attended have generally done an excellent job. The atmosphere in the Indian countryside has left a particularly deep impression on me.”When it comes to chess, the 1999-born, has just one wish, as he concluded, “Personally, I think Indian chess has developed rapidly over the past few years, and that is something people around the world can see. I would like to see chess receive more support in China so that it can become as popular there as it is in India.”
