Teimour Radjabov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Teimour Radjabov |
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Radjabov at the 2018 Chess Olympiad
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| Full name | Teymur Boris oğlu Rəcəbov |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Born | 12 March 1987 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (2001) |
| FIDE rating | 2765 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2793 (November 2012) |
| Ranking | No. 10 (July 2021) |
| Peak ranking | No. 4 (July 2012) |
Teimour Radjabov, born on March 12, 1987, is a famous chess player from Azerbaijan. He holds the highest title in chess, a Grandmaster.
He was a child prodigy, meaning he was super talented at a young age. He became a Grandmaster in March 2001 when he was just 14 years old. At that time, he was the second-youngest Grandmaster ever! In 2003, Teimour became well-known internationally. He beat the world's top player, Garry Kasparov, at the Linares tournament. That same year, he also defeated former world champions Viswanathan Anand and Ruslan Ponomariov.
Teimour kept getting better and became one of the best chess players. In November 2012, he reached his highest rating of 2793 points. He was ranked as the number 4 player in the world. This made him one of the highest-rated players in chess history.
He has played in the important Candidates Tournament three times. This tournament decides who gets to challenge the World Chess Champion. Teimour won the European Team Chess Championship with his Azerbaijani team in 2009, 2013, and 2017. He has also won many individual tournaments. These include the 2008 Elista Grand Prix, the 2017 Geneva Grand Prix, the 2019 FIDE World Cup, and the 2021 Airthings Masters.
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Early Life and Chess Start
Teimour Radjabov was born on March 12, 1987, in Baku, which is now the capital of Azerbaijan. His father, Boris Sheynin, was a petroleum engineer. His mother, Leyla Radjabova, was an English teacher.
Teimour started playing chess when he was only three years old. His father was his first coach. He went to secondary school number 160 in Baku.
Teimour's Chess Journey
Even though he was the youngest player, Teimour won the European Under 18 Championship in 1999. He was still only 13 years old when he finished second in a big tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 2001.
By January 2002, when he was 14, Teimour was ranked 93rd in the world. This made him the second-youngest player ever to be in the FIDE Top 100 list. In a rapid chess event in Moscow, he reached the final. He beat strong players like Ivanchuk and Svidler before losing to Garry Kasparov.
Beating World Champions
In 2003, Teimour Radjabov made history. He beat three former or current FIDE World Chess Champions in one year. He defeated Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, and Ruslan Ponomariov. What's even more amazing is that he beat them all while playing with the black pieces!
His win against Kasparov in Linares was very famous. Kasparov had not lost a game with white pieces in seven years. He had also been undefeated in five Linares tournaments in a row. Teimour's victory was a huge surprise.
In 2004, Teimour played in the Linares tournament again. He drew both his games against Garry Kasparov. He also reached the semifinals of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004.
Early Tournament Wins
In April 2005, Teimour won the Dos Hermanas tournament. Later that year, he finished second in the European Championship.
On February 22, 2006, Teimour defeated the FIDE World Champion, Veselin Topalov. He then finished second in the Linares/Morelia tournament. In November, Teimour won the Cap d'Agde rapid tournament. He beat Sergey Karjakin in the final.
In January 2007, Teimour shared first place at the Corus Chess Tournament. He was tied with Veselin Topalov and Levon Aronian.
In January 2008, Teimour won the ACP Rapid Cup. He beat Grischuk in the final. Later that month, he shared third place in Wijk aan Zee with World Champion Viswanathan Anand. He also shared first place in Elista.
In October 2009, Teimour led the Azerbaijani team to victory. They won the European Team Chess Championship.
Early 2010s Success
In May 2010, Teimour secured second place in the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010. This meant he qualified for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012. He also finished second in the World Blitz Championship.
In 2011, Teimour led the Azerbaijani team to a silver medal at the European Team Chess Championship. In November, he reached a new high rating of 2781.
In January 2012, Teimour played in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He tied for second place with Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. This was his fourth time finishing in the top three in Wijk. He also shared second place in the Tal Memorial. He reached a new peak rating of 2788 and was ranked No. 4 in the world.
Teimour played as the first board for Azerbaijan in the 2012 Olympiad. His rating went up to his highest ever, 2793. He also helped the SOCAR chess team win the European Chess Club Cup.
In 2013, Teimour played in the Candidates Tournament in London. His national team won the European Team Chess Championship in November 2013.
Return to Top Chess
Teimour returned to top chess at the Gashimov Memorial tournament. He finished third and gained 11 rating points. He even defeated Magnus Carlsen in their game. In the same year, he won a bronze medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship.
In 2017, Teimour competed in the FIDE Grand Prix 2017. He won the Geneva round by scoring 6 out of 9 points. This placed him third overall in the Grand Prix. He almost qualified for the 2018 Candidates Tournament.
By September 2017, Teimour was ranked No. 19 in the world. This was his first time in the top 20 in two years. The next month, he climbed to No. 17. In November, he won gold medals with the Azerbaijan national team at the European Team Chess Championship.
In April 2018, Teimour played in the Shamkir Chess tournament. He reached No. 16 in the world rankings. At the 43rd Chess Olympiad, Teimour played for Azerbaijan. He had a great score and won an individual bronze medal. He moved to No. 14 in the world rankings.
In January 2019, Teimour played in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament again. He continued to climb the world rankings and reached No. 12.
In September 2019, Teimour participated in and won the 2019 Chess World Cup. He beat many strong players, including his fellow Azerbaijani grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. In the final, he played against Ding Liren. After drawing the classical and rapid games, Teimour won in the blitz section.
Winning the World Cup meant Teimour qualified for the 2020 Candidates tournament. This would have given him a chance to play Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship title.
Withdrawing from Candidates Tournament
Teimour Radjabov decided to withdraw from the 2020 Candidates tournament on March 6, 2020. He was worried about the coronavirus pandemic. He felt that FIDE, the world chess organization, was not doing enough to deal with the situation. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave replaced him in the tournament.
Later, the tournament was stopped because of new rules to control the pandemic. Teimour then asked to be put back into the tournament. He felt it was a fair request since his concerns had proven to be true.
In November 2020, Teimour played in the Skilling Open rapid chess tournament. This was part of the Champions Chess Tour 2021. He reached the quarterfinals. In December, Teimour joined the Airthings Masters. He qualified for the play-offs. He defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov. In the finals, he beat Levon Aronian and won the Airthings Masters!
In May 2021, FIDE decided to give Teimour direct entry into the Candidates Tournament 2022. He finished in third place in that tournament.
Major Tournament Wins
- 1998 Kasparov Cup, 1st place
- 1998 World Youth Chess Championship U-12, 1st place
- 1999 European Youth Chess Championship U-18, 1st place
- 2000 Budapest Chess Tournament, 1st place
- 2005 Dos Hermanas, 1st place
- 2006 Cap d'Agde Rapid Chess, 1st place
- 2007 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, joint 1st place
- 2008 Elista FIDE Grand Prix, 1st place
- 2009 European Team Chess Championship, team 1st place
- 2013 European Team Chess Championship, team 1st place
- 2017 Geneva FIDE Grand Prix, 1st place
- 2017 European Team Chess Championship, team 1st place
- 2019 Chess World Cup, 1st place
- 2020–2021 Airthings Masters, 1st place
Teimour's Chess Style
Teimour Radjabov is known for bringing back the King's Indian Defence. This is a special way to start a chess game. He even used it to beat the world's top player, Magnus Carlsen, in 2014.
He also often uses a sharp opening called the Schliemann-Jaenisch Gambit. Teimour is very good at fighting back when his opponent makes a small mistake. He can take control of the game.
Famous Game Against Kasparov
At the 2003 Linares chess tournament, Teimour, who was only 15, beat Kasparov with the black pieces. Teimour's position was not good at first. But he made a brave move, sacrificing a knight. This surprised Kasparov.
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Kasparov then made a big mistake, losing a piece and the game. Teimour's knight sacrifice was praised by many strong players for its bravery. Nigel Short, a grandmaster, said Teimour "plays very imaginatively" and "will always find a way to muddy the waters to throw you off track."
Teimour Radjabov was the first player born after Kasparov became World Chess Champion in 1985 to defeat him. He is also the youngest player ever to beat a reigning world No. 1 player in a tournament game.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
In May 2006, Teimour Radjabov was chosen as a UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for Azerbaijan. This means he helps UNICEF with their work.
He speaks out to support the use of iodized salt in Azerbaijan. This helps children stay healthy. UNICEF said they were very happy to have Teimour help improve the lives of children and young people in Azerbaijan. They believed he would inspire young people with his talents.
See also
In Spanish: Teimour Radjabov para niños
