Azerbaijani Mega-Brain Wins Superbet Chess Classic

Azerbaijani chess grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has won the Superbet Chess Classic tournament in Romania’s capital city Bucharest after three consecutive wins, which were crucial for claiming first place on the ten-man standing.

Mamedyarov outpaced Romania’s mega mind Constantin Lupulescu, Armenia’s Levon Aronian, and American Fabiano Caruana. In the last game, Azerbaijan’s mega-brain secured a draw with the French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to announce his flawless win with six points gained in nine rounds.

American Wesley So, Levon Aronian, and Russia’s Alexander Grischuk shared second place with one point behind the Azerbaijani chess heavyweight.

Meanwhile, another grandmaster from Azerbaijan, Teimour Radjabov, finished the Superbet Chess Classic in fifth place.

The Superbet Chess Classic is a ten-player classical round-robin tournament. This year’s edition has opened the 2021 Grand Chess Tour, a series of five events. The next three competitions will be played in Paris (June 16-23), Zagreb (July 5-12), and St. Louis (August 9-16). The fifth and final leg, known as the Sinquefield Cup, will also take place in St. Louis from August 16 to 28.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, aged 35, is one of Azerbaijan’s greatest chess players with a prolific professional career. As of February 2021, he was the country’s number one grandmaster and is currently in the world’s Top 10 rating. He is known best for his aggressive style.

Mamedyarov’s rich trophy collection includes two titles in the World Junior Championship, including the World Rapid Chess Championship and the Chess Olympiad. He is the world’s only player to win the World Junior Championship twice. Mamedyarov also holds three titles in the European Team Championship. In 2018, he beat the world’s strongest mega brain Magnus Carlsen to win the prestigious Biel Chess Festival.