ANDREY ESIPENKO: What Went WRONG at the Candidates? | PODCAST

Try Chessreps and check out my lines here: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mus... Today I’m joined by GM Andrey Esipenko — one of Russia’s strongest chess players and a participant in the Candidates Tournament. We talked about his preparation, his team, and his performance at the Candidates, as well as the other players in the tournament. This podcast was recorded in Russian, but we translated it into English for you — enjoy! Support me on Patreon:   / mustreader   My DISCORD server:   / discord   My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights:    / @cwmclips   My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: [email protected] Andrey's Instagram:   / andrey__esipenko   My podcast with Giri:    • "I almost QUIT CHESS" | Anish Giri PODCAST   My podcast with Wei Yi:    • Wei Yi: CANDIDATES, Ding’s Comeback & Guke...   My podcast with MVL:    • "BAD FAITH from Hikaru", Candidates HOT TA...   My podcast with Nodirbek:    • Nodirbek Abdusattorov: Gukesh Needs to LOS...   My podcast with Nepo with ENG SUBS:    • NEPO’s Candidates 2026 TIER LIST | PODCAST   Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Candidates preparation 01:07 — How were your training camps? 02:38 — Who chose the openings? 07:39 — The Chessreps discussion 11:19 — Openings not your style? 12:37 — Too much time on openings? 15:05 — Andrey’s Candidates team 16:04 — “This is what I lacked” 18:27 — How to improve chess thinking 20:52 — Psychological issues? 21:41 — Preparation during the Candidates 23:18 — Key takeaways after Candidates 25:36 — Sindarov’s performance 26:48 — Other Candidates participants My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #andreyesipenko #javokhirsindarov #candidates2026 #anishgiri #chesspodcast #chessinterview #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess