National chess player to compete in German Chess Bundesliga

Azerbaijani grandmaster Shahriyar Mammadyarov is set to join SV Werder Bremen in the German Chess Bundesliga this week.

At present, Mammadyarov's team is in a strong position, holding second place with 19 points after 11 rounds.

SV Werder Bremen is preparing to face Heimbach on April 25 and Solingen on April 26.

With a roster packed with international talent, including renowned chess players like Hikaru Nakamura from the USA, Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda from Poland, the team is poised for competitive matches.

The Chess Bundesliga, established in 1980, is Germany's premier league for team chess. It features 16 teams competing in a round-robin format, with each match-day comprising eight players per team.

The season typically runs from October through April, showcasing some of the best talent in the chess world.

For centuries, chess has been a popular game in Azerbaijan, with ancient roots closely related to traditions. The country could preserve these traditions, as chess remains a crucially popular sport for now.

The first references to chess in Azerbaijan can be found in the works of 12th-century great poets such as Khaqani Shirvani and Nizami Ganavi, as well as in the works of one of the nation's most respected literary personalities, Muhammed Fuzuli.

To popularise this original game, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is also the chairman of the National Olympic Committee, signed in 2009 an executive order initiating a state-supported chess development program, covering the years 2009-2014.

The Azerbaijan Chess Federation was founded in 1920. Elman Rustamov has been president of the National Chess Federation since 2007.

The first World Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan was arranged at the Baku Crystal Hall, a multipurpose sports and concert arena. The chess tournament gathered about 2,000 chess masters from 175 countries.

The FIDE World Chess Cup 2023 in Baku also managed to captivate chess enthusiasts with its high-level competition and thrilling encounters.

With a highly competitive field of players, the World Cup offered an exciting platform for showcasing the immense talent and strategic prowess of top chess players.

The tournament gathered around 206 players in the open section and 103 in the women's competition.

The Azerbaijani team included 17 chess players, including Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Teymur Rajabov, Gunay Mammadzade, Rauf Mammadov, Gadir Huseynov, Vasif Durarbayli, Nijat Abasov, Abdulla Gadimbayli, Misratdin Isgandarov, Muhammad Muradli, Vugar Asadli, Riad Samadov, Aydin Suleymanli, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gulnar Mammadova, Khanim Balajayeva, and Govhar Beydullayeva.

The top three players from both the open and women's sections qualified for the first time in the Men Candidates Tournament and the Women Candidates Tournament 2024.