GM Andrey Esipenko

Andrey Esipenko is a Russian grandmaster. He won the European U10 Chess Championship in 2012. In 2017, he won the European U16 Chess Championship and the World U16 Chess Championship. At the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, the 18-year-old beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in their first encounter, becoming the first (and only) teenager to beat Carlsen in classical chess as the reigning world champion.

That victory and Esipenko’s third-place finish in the prestigious event allowed the young GM to break the 2700-rating barrier for the first time. It also cemented his status as one of the game’s rising stars.