TEYMUR’S RETURN

The Grand Prix of Chess has recently finished in Geneva, Switzerland. The results of the tournament determine the participants for the chess crown claimants.

In the final round of the competition, our representative Teymur Rajabov (2724) played a draw with black figures with Ian Nepomnyashchiy (Russia, 2742). In the same round, Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2761) failed to break the resistance of Anish Giri (Holland, 2775), which officially formalized the championship of Rajabov. With his grandiose game in Geneva, Teymur Rajabov put an end to a series of failures and after a long break won in the international competition. His victory brought Teymur also 20 thousand Euros.

Another Azerbaijani chess player, Shahriyar Mammadyarov (2800), who also played in Geneva, made a draw with Chao Li (China, 2735), playing with white figures. Alexander Ryazantsev (Russia, 2654), Michael Adams (England, 2736), Pentala Harekrishna (India, 2737), Dmitry Yakovenko Russia, 2703), Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia, 2707), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2728) and Pavel Elyanov (Ukraine, 2739), and Richard Rapport (Hungary, 2749) also tied a draw. Peter Svidler (Russia, 2749) won from Hou Ifan (China, 2666), and Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2809) defeated Salim Salehi (United Arab Emirates, 2656).

This tournament finished the third stage of the Grand Prix series. The last, fourth stage will be held on November 16-27 in the Spanish city of Palma. Each of the 24 participants has a right to compete in three stages out of four. Mammadyarov, Grishchuk, Nepomnyashchi, Adams, Howe and Salehi have already completed their participation in the Grand Prix series. The first two of them are considered real candidates for participation in the tournament, where only the players who took first and second place in the series are eligible. Along with Mammadyarov and Grishchuk, Rajabov, Ding and Vachier-Lagrave also have a chance to take part in this tournament. However, they must be in the top three in the tournament in Spain, although it may happen that they will not be satisfied even with the second third places. According to the regulations, the athlete ranked the first gets 170, the second - 140, and the third - 110 points. But if these places share several grandmasters among themselves, then, accordingly, the sum of the points won by the participants decreases. To achieve the goal, Teymur Rajabov needs 100 points, provided that the representatives of China and France do not outstrip him. The analysis of the standings shows that Shahriyar has almost secured his place. Teymur's chances are also highly appreciated. If the performance in Geneva is not an accidental luck and the chess player is really on the rise, then in Palma we can see the logical continuation of the current success.

Teymur Rajabov, who won the prestigious competition after a long break, shared his impressions with R +.

"I do everything to not think about the chance to participate in the tournament. There is still a whole stage ahead, everything can happen. I have participated in the tournament before. I have some experience. I cannot say that my only goal is to win a chance for this competition. I think only about improving the results and improving my skills. I will not count the points in the Grand Prix series. I will try to play my game. In general, I think my performance in Geneva was positive. I had an advantage in all meetings, except for the parties with Nepomnyashchiy and Grishchuk. In preparation for the competition, I thought a lot about not getting into time trouble. At previous competitions, I had problems with time, and this factor affected my game. Preparation took place before the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir. In Shamkir, I simply had not yet fully restored my optimal shape. In addition, it was never easy to play with black figures against such rivals as Vladimir Kramnik and Wesley So. Chess loves a serious approach. It's important to keep track of time. Otherwise, you have to build the game in a few seconds. In the first game on the Grand Prix I defeated Anish Giri. The start, of course, is very important. It is interesting that on the 19th move my rival offered a draw. Since I had a lot of time, I refused a draw when playing with black pieces. There was a real chance to achieve superiority. As a result, I won," said Rajabov.

We can say only good words about the performance of Azerbaijani chess player Teymur Rajabov in Geneva. Not only his victory but also his confident game in all meetings, the focus on the fight to the very end is noteworthy. Refusing a draw in the game with Anish Giri, Rajabov confirmed his words that he always thinks only of victory. Rest assured, the last stage of the Grand Prix is ​​very important to him. If he gets a higher result, Teymur will get a ticket to the tournament of applicants, then in his career will start a new stage.

In September, Teymur Rajabov will take part in the World Cup, which will be held in Tbilisi. Shahriyar Mammadyarov will also play at the World Cup. Then Teymur Rajabov will take part at the European Cup between the clubs and the European team championship. At the end of November, the last stage of the FIDE Grand Prix will take place in Spain.