Vugar Hashimov Memorial-2022 brings together best chess players

Vugar Hashimov Memorial-2022 has started in Baku, bringing together some of the best chess players.

The chess competition is organized by the Vugar Hashimov Chess Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Azerbaijani Chess Federation as a tribute to the memory of the national grandmaster Vugar Hashimov.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov underscored the achievements Azerbaijani chess players have made this year.

"We can talk a lot about the successes of our chess players. Most importantly, our results continue. The followers of our well-known chess players have already grown up. Young people return from tournaments with gold medals. Chess competitions are also held in our country. International chess tournaments have been held in Nakhchivan and Shusha. The chess federation and the clubs are doing great things," the minister said.

The minister expressed his gratitude to the family of the deceased chess player for his contribution to the development of chess in the country.

Vugar Hashimov's father, Qasim Hashimov, chairman of the Memorial's Organizing Committee, thanked the tournament participants.

"I am grateful to the foreign grandmasters, who accepted our invitation. There are four young chess players in this tournament, two of them are Azerbaijanis. Vugar also managed to show himself at a young age," Hashimov said.

"On behalf of our family, I express my gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev. In his meeting with the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich, the

Azerbaijani president stressed the importance of the Vugar Hashimov Memorial. I would like to wish success to all chess players in the competition," he added.

The chief judge of the tournament, Lutviyar Rustamov, informed the participants about the rules. The tournament consists of a Rapid and a Blitz tournament with a double round-robin system for each. Ten chess players from Azerbaijan, the USA, China, India, Uzbekistan, Romania, and Spain are taking part in the

Vugar Hashimov Memorial 2022.

On the first three days of the tournament, chess players tested their strength in the rapid tournament.

In the seventh round, Azerbaijani chess player Aydin Suleymanli defeated his teammate Shahriyar Mammadyarov.

Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov

won over Rauf Mammadov, while Romanian Richard Rapport gained victory over US chess player Samuel Shankland.

Azerbaijani chess player Abdulla Gadimbayli left no chances to Spaniard Valeho Pons; Indian Gukesh Dommaraju drew with Chinese Wang Hao.

The blitz competitions started on December 22. The winner of the tournament will be determined at the end of the rapid and blitz competitions.