The first six tournaments of the “Chess Tour Azerbaijan” project, organized for the first time on the initiative of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, have concluded.
This marks the end of the “open” tournaments scheduled for the spring-summer season, Idman.biz reports.
A total of 1,553 participants (including 300 women) competed in the series. Among them were 26 GMs, 37 IMs, 2 WIMs, 35 FMs, 6 WFMs, 14 CMs, and 12 WCMs. These 971 chess players represented 20 different federations.
Undoubtedly, the main star of the concluded tournaments in the “Chess Tour Azerbaijan” series was Khagan Ahmad. Winning three out of five tournaments he participated in, Khagan increased his rating by 56 points, reaching 2449, from Shaki to Guba.
International Master (IM) Khazar Babazada confirmed his strong performance at the “Baku Open” by winning the “Shamakhi Open.” Impressively, he later played successfully in the Turkish 1st League, surpassing the 2500 rating mark.
Ukrainian GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy became one of the memorable figures of the series, finishing second in three of the five tournaments he attended and fourth in one.
Four players participated in all six tournaments held in the series so far: IM Vugar Manafov, CM Tunar Davudov, Alakbar Ismayilov, and Sadagul Afandi. Nine players competed in five tournaments, 53 in four, 102 in three, and 167 in two.
The bold participation of GM Ahmad Ahmadzada and GM Mohammad Muradli, as well as Ahmad’s victory at the “Vugar Gashimov Open,” are noteworthy achievements.
The number of participants in each tournament was as follows:
Baku Open – 576 players
Shaki Open – 260 players
Shamakhi Open – 102 players
Lankaran Open – 176 players
Guba Open – 234 players
Gashimov Open – 205 players
The “Chess Tour Azerbaijan” project covers almost the entire country, creating wide opportunities for regional development. Local chess players usually travel no more than 100 km (often less) to participate in an “open” tournament.
The project also helps many of our chess players overcome years of inexperience in competitive play. It is encouraging that our young players, who will represent the country in World and European Championships, gain valuable experience and perform successfully in these tournaments.
The “Chess Tour Azerbaijan” continues. In November, the next two (final) tournaments of the series will be held in Shirvan and Ganja. We invite our chess players to take full advantage of these upcoming competitions.
Idman.biz
