“It will be very difficult for Rauf Mammadov to hold his ground against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov,” said chess coach Farid Abbasov in an interview with Report, discussing the upcoming final of the Azerbaijan Chess Championship.
Idman.biz reports that Abbasov highlighted the high caliber of both grandmasters: “Rauf Mammadov is a top-level player who has surpassed the 2700 rating mark. However, it’s important to note that his opponent in the decisive round is Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – the highest-rated player in our country’s history. Shakhriyar has reached a rating of 2820 in the past. Facing him will be a tough challenge for Rauf, but the result will be decided on the board. Both players played key roles in our national team’s third European Championship victory in 2017.”
Abbasov also commented on Mammadov’s dramatic victory over Teimour Radjabov in the semifinals: “Yesterday, we witnessed a real shock. Teimour had a winning position but suddenly left his queen exposed and lost the game. Recently, Teimour hasn’t been playing much, whereas Rauf competes regularly. Going into the match, Teimour was the slight favorite, with 55% to Rauf’s 45%. Even in the Armageddon tiebreak, Teimour had the advantage, and everyone expected Rauf to resign after just a few moves. However, a blunder with the queen cost Teimour the match.”
Speaking about the women’s championship, Abbasov praised the thrilling competition: “The matches have been fantastic. Anything can happen in the final between Gunay Mammadzada and Govhar Beydullayeva. They both defeated very strong opponents to get here. Beydullayeva overcame Ulviyya Fataliyeva, our country’s first and only European Champion among women. Gunay, on the other hand, secured a hard-fought win against Gulnar Mammadova. The women’s competition has been even more exciting than the men’s.”
Abbasov, who was eliminated by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the round of 16, also praised the organization of the tournament: “This year’s Azerbaijan Championship stands out from previous editions in terms of organization, prize fund, and the average rating of participants. All members of our national teams, both men and women, took part, including players from abroad. This is unprecedented. Except for Gadir Huseynov, everyone was here. We also saw new talents emerging, and they performed exceptionally well.”
The final stage of the Azerbaijan Chess Championship begins today.
Idman.biz
