HISTORIC SILVER

The European Team Chess Championship in Montenegro (November 11-21) went down in history with two opposite results for Azerbaijan. The women's chess team won silver medals for the first time in the national history. Yet the male national team did not fulfil expectations.

Success of the women...

The team consisting of Gunay Mammadzade, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Govhar Beydullayeva, Khanym Balajayeva, and Gulnar Mammadova scored 15 points in 9 rounds, losing only to the Bulgarians. Thus, the Azerbaijani chess players, who took bronze medals at three previous championships (1992, 2019 and 2021), moved up the rank and took the second place.

Thus, they demonstrated a confident start at the European Championship by defeating the teams of Slovenia, Netherlands and Poland and drawing with France. In the fifth round, they defeated the German team, but lost to the future champions, the Bulgarians. In the decisive match, Ulviya Fataliyeva played against the Bulgarian player Nurgul Salimova, who brought a much-needed point to her team's overall score. The Azerbaijani women's team, ahead of England, Greece and Serbia in the last rounds, eventually took the second place. There was a moment when the leading Bulgarians lost points, and the Azerbaijani team had a chance for the championship. Unfortunately, it failed to materialise.

Gunay Mammadzade's game was highly effective. Out of 8 games, she won four, drew three and lost one, thus taking becoming the second by individual results. Khanym Balajayeva and Gulnar Mammadova also took the second places on the fourth and fifth boards, respectively.

In general, the performance of the women's national team should be considered a success. In recent years, the team has established itself as one of the strongest teams by winning prizes at various European championships.

...And the fiasco of the men...

Alas, the men's team, which is a three-time European champion (2009, 2013 and 2017), this time failed unrecoverably.

In Montenegro, the men's team could become only the 18th with 9 points. The team was represented by Teymur Rajabov, Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Nijat Abasov, Rauf Mammadov and Vasif Durarbeyli. It is impossible to single out anyone in this team. The team captained by Gadir Huseynov demonstrated a very poor performance, making the national chess federation to re-think the situation.

Gold as the next target

First Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation Faig Hasanov expressed satisfaction with the performance of the chess players in his interview to R+: "The result at the European Championship is a great success. Girls showed a high result with a total of 15 points. Our men, even when they were European champions, have not scored so many points. In the last round, it was the team of Georgia and Bulgaria which had the greatest influence on the championship. Girls won silver medals and made it to the final. Thanks to the second place at the continental championship we can hope for more success in the future".

Team coach Mikhail Shereshevsky also shared his impressions of the championship: "Frankly, I was hoping for a gold medal. Unfortunately, it did not happen. The game between Georgia and Bulgaria could have made us champions. It's a pity that we failed to get the gold.

European Championship silver medallist and national team leader Gunay Mammadzade believes that the team will become champions next season: "My thanks go to our family members for their support, to the Azerbaijan Chess Federation for the conditions created. Our goal has always been the highest results. Bronze medals were the only ones we could get at European championships in the last two years. This time we returned home as silver medallists. The next goal is the gold medal".

Another member of the national team, Gulnar Mammadova, also hopes to win top medals at the next competition: "I am satisfied with the performance of our team. Thank you to everyone who supported us. It was truly an exciting competition. We will continue our training to be more successful. Our next goal is the gold medal."

Another gold

At the World Youth Chess Championship (U-14, U-16, U-18) in Montesilvano, Italy, Ayan Allahverdiyeva won 8 of 11 games and drew in 3. As a result, with 9.5 points, she was awarded the gold medal among the 18-year-old participants.

In general, 2023 can be called a successful year for Azerbaijani chess. The results achieved at the Junior and Youth World Championships, as well as at the European Championship, make it possible to record this year as an asset for chess players. At the same time, in 2024 our chess will face more serious challenges. The national team will take part in the World Chess Olympiad, where it has not yet managed to win medals.