Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is one of the most dynamic attacking players of his generation. Born in Sumqayit, Azerbaijan, in 1985, he grew up in a chess family: his father, a former boxer, was his first coach, and his sisters Zeinab and Turkan both became Woman Grandmasters.
He earned the grandmaster title in 2002 and remains the only player ever to win the World Junior Championship twice (2003 and 2005). In 2013 he became World Rapid Champion, and in September 2018 he reached a peak rating of 2820, placing him among the highest-rated players in chess history.
His tournament victories include Hoogeveen (2006, 2007), the Tal Memorial (2010, shared), Shamkir Chess (2016, 2017), the 2017 FIDE Grand Prix series and Biel 2018, where he also defeated Magnus Carlsen. With Azerbaijan he won European Team Championship gold in 2009, 2013 and 2017 and an individual gold medal at the 2012 Olympiad, and he finished second at the 2018 Candidates Tournament, just one point behind Fabiano Caruana.
Today he passes on his experience as a coach, working with Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş and Aydın Süleymanlı.
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