Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Encyclopedia
Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov (born 12 April 1985 in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
), also known for his Shah
nickname, is a chess
Grandmaster. On the September 2010 FIDE rating list he was ranked number nine in the world with an Elo
rating of 2756.
In 2003 he won the World Junior Chess Championship
. He repeated his victory in 2005 (thus becoming the only two-time champion), achieving an incredible 2953 performance rating after eight rounds. This gained him an invitation to the Essent Tournament 2006 in Hoogeveen
, and by winning this one and also the 2007 edition, Shakhriyar achieved world fame.
In 2005 Mamedyarov competed at European Club Cup and had the second highest performance rating (2913) among all of the participants (Vassily Ivanchuk had the highest).
IM Goran Antunac has commented that Mamedyarov is a true virtuoso at handling the pieces, always finding the best squares for them.
Mamedyarov attained joint first place in Aeroflot Open
in Moscow in February 2006, with a score of 6½/9. In October 2006, he won the closed Essent Chess Tournament in Hoogeveen
with 4½ of six games, beating Judit Polgár
on Sonneborn-Berger.
In the Chess World Cup 2007
Mamedyarov advanced to the third round where he was knocked out by Ivan Cheparinov
.
He also become best individual player at the World Team Chess Championships 2009
.
In 2010, he tied for first place with Vladimir Kramnik
and Gata Kamsky
in the President's Cup in Baku. Followed by joint win in the Mikhail Tal Memorial
.
In May 2011, Mammadyarov was tournament organisers' nominee, qualifying him for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012. However, he lost to Boris Gelfand
in the quarterfinal of the competition.
, who also uses various tactical techniques like the Alekhine Defence and the Budapest Gambit.
s of 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010. In 2009, he won the team gold medal for Azerbaijan in European Team Chess Championship, having won bronze medal in 2007 and silver in 2011.
Tournament that took place in Moscow between 17 and 26 February 2009. After losing to lower-rated Igor Kurnosov
in 21 moves, the Azeri voiced suspicions of cheating behaviour on the part of his Russian opponent, citing Kurnosov's wanderings outside the playing hall after each move, the refusal to agree to a draw
on move 14, and the unusually strong moves for a 2600+ GM. The arbiters were unable to discover any evidence implicating Kurnosov and Mamedyarov withdrew from the tournament in protest.
and Turkan Mamedyarova, who are also Woman Grandmasters.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
), also known for his Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
nickname, is a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster. On the September 2010 FIDE rating list he was ranked number nine in the world with an Elo
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
rating of 2756.
Early career
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was born April 12, 1985 in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan.In 2003 he won the World Junior Chess Championship
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
. He repeated his victory in 2005 (thus becoming the only two-time champion), achieving an incredible 2953 performance rating after eight rounds. This gained him an invitation to the Essent Tournament 2006 in Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
, and by winning this one and also the 2007 edition, Shakhriyar achieved world fame.
In 2005 Mamedyarov competed at European Club Cup and had the second highest performance rating (2913) among all of the participants (Vassily Ivanchuk had the highest).
IM Goran Antunac has commented that Mamedyarov is a true virtuoso at handling the pieces, always finding the best squares for them.
Mamedyarov attained joint first place in Aeroflot Open
Aeroflot Open
The Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament played in Moscow and sponsored by the airline Aeroflot. It was established in 2002 and quickly grew to be the strongest open tournament. The first event had around 80 grandmasters, while in the second event 150 grandmasters participated...
in Moscow in February 2006, with a score of 6½/9. In October 2006, he won the closed Essent Chess Tournament in Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
with 4½ of six games, beating Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. She is by far the strongest female chess player in history. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, the youngest person ever to do so at that time.Polgár was ranked No...
on Sonneborn-Berger.
In the Chess World Cup 2007
Chess World Cup 2007
The Chess World Cup 2007 served as a qualification tournament for the World Chess Championship 2009. It was held as a 128-player single-elimination tournament, between 24 November and 16 December 2007, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia....
Mamedyarov advanced to the third round where he was knocked out by Ivan Cheparinov
Ivan Cheparinov
Ivan Cheparinov is a Bulgarian chess player, who won the Bulgarian Chess Championship in 2005.-Topalov's second:Until 2007, he was best known as the second of former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov...
.
He also become best individual player at the World Team Chess Championships 2009
World Team Chess Championship
The World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent.-Men's team medals:-Women's team medals:-References:*...
.
In 2010, he tied for first place with Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
and Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and the current World Rapid Chess Champion. He is also the current United States Chess Champion. As of September 2011, he is rated No. 1 in the United States and No...
in the President's Cup in Baku. Followed by joint win in the Mikhail Tal Memorial
Mikhail Tal Memorial
The Tal Memorial is a chess tournament played in Moscow each year since 2006, to honour the memory of the former World Champion Mikhail Tal who died in 1992....
.
In May 2011, Mammadyarov was tournament organisers' nominee, qualifying him for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012. However, he lost to Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand
Boris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
in the quarterfinal of the competition.
Playing style
His style often known for the experiments in the openingsChess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
, who also uses various tactical techniques like the Alekhine Defence and the Budapest Gambit.
Team competitions
He played for Azerbaijan in the Chess OlympiadChess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s of 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2010. In 2009, he won the team gold medal for Azerbaijan in European Team Chess Championship, having won bronze medal in 2007 and silver in 2011.
Controversy
Mamedyarov caused controversy during the Aeroflot OpenAeroflot Open
The Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament played in Moscow and sponsored by the airline Aeroflot. It was established in 2002 and quickly grew to be the strongest open tournament. The first event had around 80 grandmasters, while in the second event 150 grandmasters participated...
Tournament that took place in Moscow between 17 and 26 February 2009. After losing to lower-rated Igor Kurnosov
Igor Kurnosov
Igor Kurnosov is a Russian chess grandmaster. In 2008 he won the Arctic Chess Challenge. He is also the winner of 2008/9 Hastings Masters tournament.On the March 2011 FIDE Elo rating list, Kurnosov has a rating of 2653.-Notable games:*...
in 21 moves, the Azeri voiced suspicions of cheating behaviour on the part of his Russian opponent, citing Kurnosov's wanderings outside the playing hall after each move, the refusal to agree to a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
on move 14, and the unusually strong moves for a 2600+ GM. The arbiters were unable to discover any evidence implicating Kurnosov and Mamedyarov withdrew from the tournament in protest.
Personal life
His personal trainer is his father, who is a former boxer. Shakhriyar has two sisters, Zeinab MamedyarovaZeinab Mamedyarova
Zeinab Hamid qizi Mamedyarova is an Azerbaijani Woman Grandmaster chess player.-Career:In 2000, she gained the Woman Grandmaster title...
and Turkan Mamedyarova, who are also Woman Grandmasters.
Notable tournament victories
- 2010 Mikhail Tal MemorialMikhail Tal MemorialThe Tal Memorial is a chess tournament played in Moscow each year since 2006, to honour the memory of the former World Champion Mikhail Tal who died in 1992....
, joint 1st - 2010 The President's Cup, joint 1st
- 2009 Chess Classic, Mainz, 1st
- 2008 Rapid Tournament, Corsica, 1st
- 2007 Rapid Tournament, Czech Republic, 1st
- 2006 HoogeveenHoogeveenHoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
Essent Tournament, 1st - 2006 Ordix Open, joint 1st
- 2006 Aeroflot OpenAeroflot OpenThe Aeroflot Open is an annual open chess tournament played in Moscow and sponsored by the airline Aeroflot. It was established in 2002 and quickly grew to be the strongest open tournament. The first event had around 80 grandmasters, while in the second event 150 grandmasters participated...
, Moscow, Russia, joint 1st - 2006 Reykjavík Iceland Tournament, joint 1st
- 2006 The President's Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan 1st
- 2004 Dubai Open, Dubai, 1st
- 2003 Winner of under-18 World Championship
- 2003 Winner of World Junior Championship, Nakchivan City, Azerbaijan
Notable games
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Gata Kamsky, Mtel Masters 2007, Slav Defense: General (D10), 1-0
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Vassily Ivanchuk, Tal Memorial 2007, Semi-Slav Defense: General (D43), 1-0
- Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Magnus Carlsen, Baku Grand Prix 2008, Queen's Indian Defense: Fianchetto, Kramnik Variation (E17), 1-0
- Vladimir Kramnik vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Amber Tournament (Rapid) 2008, Budapest Defense: General (A52), 0-1