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Baku Chess Club has hosted the Azerbaijan Rapid and Blitz Championship.

The chess players first competed in rapid, and on the last day in blitz. In the end, the winners were determined based on the sum of the results in both categories, Azernews reports.

According to the results of two competitions, Gadir Huseynov, who scored 11 points, became the winner of the Azerbaijan championship. Abdulla Gadimbeyli took the second place with 9.5 points.

Kanan Garayev and Ahmed Khagan, who scored 9 points each, shared the 3rd and 4th places respectively. Kanan Garayev, who excelled in additional indicators, finished the tournament in third place.

The prize fund of the men's rapid and blitz Azerbaijan championship was 5,000 AZN

The Azerbaijan championship is a qualifier for the rapid and blitz world championships to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in December.

The chess players who will take the first three places have the right to represent Azerbaijan in the world championships.​

Chess for centuries has been a popular game in Azerbaijan with ancient roots closely related to traditions. The country could preserve these traditions as chess remains to be a crucially popular sport for now.

The first references to chess in Azerbaijan can be found in the works of the XII century poets such as Khaqani and Nizami as well as in the works of one of the nation’s most respected literary personalities Fuzuli.

The 42nd Chess Olympiad in Baku is an excellent example of the great attention paid to the development of chess games in the country. Nearly 2,000 chess players from 175 countries took part in the tournament.

FIDE World Chess Cup 2023 in Baku has managed to captivate chess enthusiasts with its high-level competition and thrilling encounters.

With a highly competitive field of players, the World Cup offered an exciting platform for showcasing the immense talent and strategic prowess of top chess players.

The tournament gathered around 206 players in the open section and 103 in the women's competition.

Azerbaijani team included 17 chess players, including Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Teymur Rajabov, Gunay Mammadzade, Rauf Mammadov, Gadir Huseynov, Vasif Durarbayli, Nijat Abasov, Abdulla Gadimbayli, Misratdin Isgandarov, Muhammad Muradli, Vugar Asadli, Riad Samadov, Aydin Suleymanli, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gulnar Mammadova, Khanim Balajayeva, and Govhar Beydullayeva.

The top three players from both the open and women's sections were qualified for the first time in the Men Candidates Tournament and the Women Candidates Tournament 2024.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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