China's Wei Yi booked his place in the final at the Men's Chess World Cup in the Indian city of Goa, while also qualifying for next year's World Championship Candidates Tournament, after beating Andrey Esipenko in a semifinal showdown on Sunday that was dedided through rapid tiebreaks.

Following two quiet classical draws, the contest shifted to rapid tiebreaks. Wei held the first with black pieces, before converting the second with white pieces in a 57‑move slug.

The game appeared lost for Wei after the 55th move, as Esipenko was up two pawns in a rook‑and‑knight ending and looked to be coasting to victory. But the Russian miscalculated on defense and failed to safeguard his rook, handing Wei a material swing that decided the match.

The victory makes Wei just the second Chinese player to reach a Men's Chess World Cup final after Ding Liren, who finished as runner‑up in 2017 and 2019, as well as the third to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, joining Ding and Wang Hao.

Wei, the highest‑seeded player remaining in the bracket at this event, will meet Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov in the final, scheduled for November 24-26.