EUROPEAN BRONZE

The strongest national chess teams of Europe competed for the title of the champion in the Slovak resort of Čatež. As always, Azerbaijan was represented by men's and women's teams at this prestigious competition. The men's team could not win any medals, as opposed to their counterparts from the women's team.

Chances and realities

The best result among our representatives was shown by Nijat Abbasov. The 26-year-old grandmaster became the 1st on board five. Shahriyar Mammadyarov and Rauf Mammadov playing on the first and third boards, respectively, finished the fourth. Teymur Rajabov finished the 7th on the second board, while Gadir Huseynov became the 13th on the third board. The men's team played against the French national team in the last round. Having lost with a score of 1.5:2.5, our team ended up the fifth with 12 points.

The women's team won the game over the representatives of the Netherlands (2.5:1.5). Gunay Mammadzade and Ulviyya Fataliyeva became winners, while Govhar Beydullayeva made a draw. Only Gulnar Mammadova lost the competition. As a result, the women's team of Azerbaijan won bronze medals with 12 points. The first and second places went to the Russian national team (18 points), and Georgia (15 points), respectively.

It is interesting that the Azerbaijani chess players had a chance to take the first place until the last round of the tournament. After defeating the French, our team could be the first, or the second if the game would end in a draw. Unfortunately, we were unlucky in the last bout of the final game. Our team neither won, nor ended the game in a draw; they lost. Although they should have become, at least, the second. The men's team made the main mistake in the eighth round, when it began the game with the Ukrainian national team without its leader Shahriyar Mammadyarov because, after supporting the team in seven rounds in a row, he wanted to have some rest. On the other hand, it was decided that Shahriyar regains strength until the last, decisive round of the tournament. Nevertheless, Mammadyarov lost in the last game to Alirza Firuzja from France. This led to the loss of the entire team, which ended up without medals.

3 + 1

The performance of the women's team can be called satisfactory. At the beginning of the tournament, it was the 5th-6th strongest team in the overall team ranking. According to the results of the games, the team’s captain Fikret Sideifzade could become the third best. The national team has played a series of successful games, having lost only on two occasions. All female players have contributed to the team’s success equally. Four of five athletes have even raised their personal ratings. It was pleasing to see the high-level performance of our players on the first chess board. Only Gulnar Mammadova had experienced a relative failure.

Lest we forget that the women's team won bronze medals at the previous European Championship. In addition, the team was formed from young chess players. If they continue training at appropriate level, the success of the team can be consistent.

Until the bitter end

The bronze medallist of the championship, Gunay Mammadzade, shared her impressions of the competition: “The tournament was well organised. All the strongest chess players joined it. There were also very difficult parties. Strong competition forced them to fight to the very end. The victory over the Netherlands national team helped us to achieve our goal. As a result, we became the third, ahead of Ukraine."

Mammadzade also said that she believed in winning a medal at the European Championship: “We won bronze medals in 2019. Therefore, we played more confidently. In this competition, our goal was, of course, to be in the top three, which we achieved. I believe that we will take a higher place at the next European Championship.”

Mammadzade, who became the 4th on the first board and showed the best result in the national team, also assessed her own performance: “Together with my teammates, I have always tried to demonstrate the best game for the national team. I just did what I could do. I dedicate my victory to all who believed in and supported us. And my personal goal is to be among the top three of the FIDE rating."

By the way, good news for the chess fans! The next, 6th International Chess Super Tournament, will be named after the European champion, international grandmaster Vugar Hashimov. The memorial event, which starts on December 17, is organised by the Vugar Hashimov Chess Fund with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation. The Vugar Hashimov Memorial will be based on rapid and blitz. The competition to be attended by eight chess players will be held in Baku.