“Our preparation for the National Championship is ongoing. My goal is to play well,” said Rauf Mammadov, who will participate in the Azerbaijan Chess Championship, in an interview with AZERTAC.
Idman.biz reports that the 37-year-old grandmaster emphasized that it is a great initiative to organize the national championship with the participation of all active chess players: “It’s great that the championship will feature well-known players like Teimour Rajabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, among others. I would like this to be a continuous practice because Azerbaijan is a leading chess country. If we look at the US championship, we can see all the top players with high FIDE ratings battling it out. It’s always interesting when the strongest players compete.”
He also expressed his pleasure about the increase in the tournament's prize fund: “I hope that in the future, it will increase even more. I believe that special attention should be given to the national championship, and it should be considered the most important tournament by the federation every year. This is because Azerbaijan Chess Federation has organized prestigious tournaments like the World Cup and Grand Prix in the country in recent years. It would be great if the National Championship was organized at the same level as these events.”
The experienced chess player also talked about his plans for future competitions after the National Championship: “This year, we have many tournaments ahead. However, the most important ones are the World Cup, which will take place in October and November. Before that, we will participate in the European Championship for individuals and teams. Our team has been unable to win the gold medal for several years, but this year, we aim to place among the winners.”
The Azerbaijan Chess Championship will be held from January 31 to February 15. The total prize fund for the men's championship is 60,000 manats, while the women's championship has a prize fund of 30,000 manats.
Idman.biz
