Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Şəhriyar Həmid oğlu Məmmədyarov) is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster, known for his fearless attacking style, rapid play and a peak rating that placed him among the very best in chess history.
Quick facts
- Born: 12 April 1985
- Nationality: Azerbaijani
- Grandmaster: 2002
- Peak rating: 2820 in September 2018, the sixth-highest in chess history
- Peak world ranking: No. 2 in February 2018
World titles
- World Junior Champion in 2003 and 2005, the only two-time winner of the title
- World Youth (Under-18) Champion in 2003
- World Rapid Champion in 2013 (Khanty-Mansiysk, 11.5/15)
Candidates Tournaments and Grand Prix
Mamedyarov won the 2012-13 FIDE Grand Prix leg in Beijing, which qualified him for the 2014 Candidates Tournament, where he finished fourth with 7/14. After winning the 2017 Grand Prix he qualified for the 2018 Candidates, finishing second with 8/14, one point behind Fabiano Caruana.
Team chess
He has represented Azerbaijan at the Olympiads in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, winning team gold on third board at the 2012 Olympiad. He is also a three-time European Team Champion with Azerbaijan (2009, 2013 and 2017).
Notable tournament wins
- Hoogeveen (Essent), 2006 and 2007
- Mainz Chess Classic, 2009
- Tal Memorial, shared first in 2010 and outright in 2014
- Shamkir Chess / Gashimov Memorial, 2016 and 2017
- Biel Chess Festival, 2018, finishing 1.5 points ahead of Magnus Carlsen and beating him in round 9
- Superbet Chess Classic, 2021
- ShushaChess, 2022
Watch his games
Below you will find video analyses of Mamedyarov's games from the Satranç Okulu YouTube channel.
