Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

Read more

Azerbaijani chess players will compete at FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 and FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2025 to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Azernews reports.

Shakhriyar Mammadyarov, Rauf Mammadov, Aydin Suleymanli, Mohammad Muradli, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gohar Beydullayeva, and Khanim Balajayeva will represented country at international chess tournament.

FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 and FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2025 will run until September 15.

Both tournaments are part of the qualification process for the World Chess Championship cycle.

The top two players in the open category will earn spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, while the top two women in the Women's Grand Swiss will qualify for the 2026 Women's Candidates.

The tournaments will feature 11 rounds, played under the Swiss System, with 172 participants from across the globe: 116 in the Grand Swiss and 56 in the Women's Grand Swiss.

The total prize fund is $855,000, with $625,000 for the Grand Swiss and $230,000 for the Women's Grand Swiss.

Held biennially, the Grand Swiss attracts some of the world's strongest chess players and is regarded as one of the toughest tournaments to win.

The inaugural Grand Swiss took place in 2019 in the Isle of Man, where GM Wang Hao triumphed with a score of 8/11.

In 2021, the tournament moved to Riga due to Covid restrictions, and GM Alireza Firouzja emerged victorious in the Open, while Lei Tingjie claimed the first-ever Women's Grand Swiss title.

The 2023 edition was won by India's Vidit Gujrathi in the Open category and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the Women's event.

Chess for centuries has been a popular game in Azerbaijan with ancient roots closely related to traditions.

The country could preserve these traditions as the chess remains to be a crucially popular sport for now.

To popularise this original game, Azerbaijan 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 42nd Chess Olympiad, held in Baku, is indeed an excellent example of great attention paid to the development of chess games in the country.

The large-scale event attracted a total of 1,587 participants, including 894 in the Open category and 693 in the Women's event, making the Baku Chess Olympiad a significant event.

Similarly, the FIDE World Chess Cup 2023 in Baku captivated chess fans with its high-calibre competition and exhilarating matches.

Featuring a highly competitive lineup, the World Cup provided an exciting venue to display the remarkable skill and strategic finesse of elite chess players.

Approximately 206 competitors participated in the open section, along with 103 players in the women's competition.

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