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Azerbaijani grandmaster Teymur Rajabov has risen two places and took 25th place (2723 points) in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) rating list for February.

Other chess players, Rauf Mammadov (2651) took 88th place, while Nijat Abasov (2641) 96th.

The ranking is headed by Norwegian Magnus Carlsen (2830), second and third places were taken by U.S. chess players Fabiano Caruana (2804) and Hikaru Nakamura (2788).

Among the women chess players, Gunay Mammadzade (2449) retained 26th place, Ulviya Fatalieva (2384) took 65th place, Govhar Beydullayeva (2374) - 76th, Gulnar Mammadova (2351) - 100th.

The first place in the ranking of women chess players is occupied by Yifan Hou (China, 2632), the second - Wenyun Yu (China, 2559), and the third - Koneru Humpy (India, 2554).

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

The first references to chess in Azerbaijan can be found in the works of 12th-century great poets such as Khaqani Shirvani and Nizami Ganavi, as well as in the works of one of the nation’s most respected literary personalities, Muhammed Fuzuli.

To popularise this original game, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is also the chairman of the National Olympic Committee, signed in 2009 an executive order initiating a state-supported chess development program, covering the years 2009-2014.

The Azerbaijan Chess Federation was founded in 1920. Elman Rustamov has been president of the National Chess Federation since 2007.

The national chess players have always taken high places at top-ranked tournaments.

The first World Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan was arranged at the Baku Crystal Hall, a multipurpose sports and concert arena. The chess tournament gathered about 2,000 chess masters from 175 countries.

The FIDE World Chess Cup 2023 in Baku 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.

The 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 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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