Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov will face Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen in the semifinals of FIDE World Chess Cup.

Nijat Abasov's opponent in the 1/4 finals was Santosh Gujrathi (India). The chess player played a draw in the first match of the sixth round and beat his opponent in the second match, Azernews reports. The overall score of the 1/4 final is 1.5 – 0.5 in favor of the Azerbaijani chess player.

In the 1/4 finals, Magnus Carlsen won the first classic match against Gukesh Dommaraju (India) and played a draw in the second. The overall score of the game in the 1/4 finals is 1.5 – 0.5 in favor of Carlsen.

The first game of the semi-final will be held on August 19.

Note that Nijat Abbasov reached his all-time-highest rating of 2670 and was ranked as No. 3 in Azerbaijan and No. 67 in the world in February, 2020.

In October 2019, Nijat earned 6.5 points (+2=9-0) in the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, finishing 15th out of 154 players.

In November, Abbasov climbed to 93 in the world rankings and entered the FIDE Top 100 for the first time in his career.

In the Chess World Cup 2023, 69th seed Abbasov caused an upset by defeating 5th seed Anish Giri in the third round.

The FIDE World Cup 2023 gathers around 206 players in the open section and 103 in the women's competition.

Azerbaijani team includes 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 will qualify for the first time in the Men Candidates Tournament and the Women Candidates Tournament of 2024.