Azerbaijani grandmaster Aydin Suleymanli has made a significant leap in the world chess rankings following an impressive run at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament in Wijk aan Zee.
According to Idman.Biz, Suleymanli climbed 20 places in the live rankings and is now positioned 80th in the world. Prior to the start of the prestigious Dutch festival, the Azerbaijani player was ranked just inside the top 100.
Suleymanli recorded six victories during the event, earning 15.2 rating points and raising his current Elo rating to 2643.2.
One of the standout moments of the tournament came in round ten, when Suleymanli, playing with the black pieces, defeated Spain’s Daniil Yuffa. The game was decided on move 23, a result that in chess terms is considered a convincing and dominant win.
That success, his third in a row, propelled Suleymanli into sole first place in the standings, giving him a half-point lead over his closest challengers, Marc’Andrea Maurizzi of France and Andy Woodward of the United States. In round eleven, the Azerbaijani grandmaster is set to face renowned Ukrainian veteran Vasyl Ivanchuk.
The winner of the Challengers tournament will earn the right to compete in the Masters section next year, the flagship event of the Tata Steel Chess Festival in Wijk aan Zee.
