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 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2793 (November 2012) |
| Ranking | No. 10 (July 2021) |
| Peak ranking | No. 4 (July 2012) |
Teimour Radjabov (born March 12, 1987) is a famous chess player from Azerbaijan. He is a Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can get.
Teimour was a child prodigy, meaning he was super talented at a young age. He became a Grandmaster in 2001 when he was just 14 years old. In 2003, he became well-known for beating Garry Kasparov, who was the world's top player at the time. He also beat other former world champions that year. Teimour became one of the best chess players in the world. In November 2012, he reached his highest rating of 2793 and was ranked number 4 globally.
He has played in the Candidates Tournament three times (in 2011, 2013, and 2022). This tournament decides who gets to challenge the World Chess Champion. He also qualified for the 2020 tournament but decided not to play because of the coronavirus pandemic. Teimour has helped his country, Azerbaijan, win the European Team Chess Championship in 2009, 2013, and 2017. He has also won several big individual tournaments, including 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 and also went to the same chess school as Garry Kasparov. His mother, Leyla Radjabova, taught English.
Teimour started playing chess when he was only three years old. He went to secondary school number 160 in Baku. His father was his first chess coach.
Chess Career Highlights
Rising Star: Early Achievements
In 1999, even though he was the youngest player, Radjabov won the European Under 18 Championship. He was still 13 years old in 2001 when he finished second in a tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. This helped him become one of the top 100 chess players in the world by January 2002, when he was just 14. In a rapid chess event in Moscow, he won many matches before losing to Garry Kasparov in the final.
In 2003, Teimour made history by beating three former or current world champions with the black pieces in one year. He defeated Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, and Ruslan Ponomariov. His win against Kasparov was especially famous because Kasparov had not lost a game with white pieces in seven years. Radjabov later said that Kasparov tried to stop him from being invited to other big tournaments after that game.
In 2004, Radjabov played in the Linares tournament again and shared fourth place. He also reached the semifinals of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004.
Winning Tournaments
In April 2005, Radjabov won the Dos Hermanas tournament. Later that year, he finished second in the European Championship. In February 2006, he beat the world champion Veselin Topalov and finished second in the Linares/Morelia tournament. In November, he won the Cap d'Agde rapid chess tournament.
In January 2007, Radjabov shared first place at the Corus Chess Tournament with Veselin Topalov and Levon Aronian. He won five games, lost one, and drew seven.
In January 2008, Radjabov won the ACP Rapid Cup. Later that month, he shared third place at a tournament in Wijk aan Zee, beating World Champion Viswanathan Anand. He also finished second in Sochi and shared first place in Elista. In October 2009, Radjabov led the Azerbaijani team to victory at the European Team Chess Championship.
Early 2010s: Top of the World
In May 2010, Radjabov finished second in a tournament in Astrakhan. This helped him qualify for the Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012. He also finished second in the World Blitz Championship, which is a very fast form of chess.
In 2011, Radjabov got married. He also helped his team, SOCAR, finish second in the European Chess Cup Championships. Later that year, he 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, Radjabov 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 at this event. He also shared second place in the Tal Memorial tournament, reaching a new peak rating of 2788 and ranking as No. 4 in the world. Radjabov played for Azerbaijan in the 2012 Olympiad and achieved his highest rating ever, 2793. He also led the SOCAR chess team to win the European Chess Club Cup.
In 2013, Radjabov played in the Candidates Tournament in London. He finished last in this event. However, his national team won the European Team Chess Championship in November 2013.
Return to Top Chess
Radjabov returned to top chess at the first Gashimov Memorial tournament in 2014. He finished third and gained 11 rating points. He even defeated Magnus Carlsen in their game. He also won a bronze medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship. In 2016, Radjabov played in many tournaments but did not win any.
In 2017, Radjabov 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, just missing out on qualifying for the 2018 Candidates Tournament. In September 2017, he was ranked No. 19 in the world, his highest ranking in two years. In November, Radjabov won gold medals with the Azerbaijan national team at the European Team Chess Championship.
In April 2018, Radjabov played in the Shamkir Chess tournament and reached No. 16 in the world rankings. At the 43rd Chess Olympiad, he played for Azerbaijan and won six games without any losses, including a notable victory over Wesley So. He earned an individual bronze medal and moved to No. 14 in the world rankings.
In January 2019, Radjabov played in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament again. In April, he continued to climb the world rankings, reaching No. 12. In September, Radjabov won the 2019 Chess World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. He defeated 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, Radjabov won in the blitz section.
By reaching the final of the World Cup, Radjabov qualified for the 2020 Candidates tournament. The winner of this tournament would get to play against Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship title.
Withdrawal from Candidates and Return
On March 6, 2020, Radjabov decided to withdraw from the 2020 Candidates tournament. He was worried about the coronavirus pandemic and felt that FIDE (the world chess organization) was not doing enough to deal with it. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave replaced him.
On March 26, the tournament was suddenly stopped because of new rules to control the pandemic. This made Radjabov ask to be put back into the tournament. He felt it was a fair request since his concerns about the pandemic had proven true.
In November 2020, Radjabov played in the Skilling Open rapid chess tournament. He reached the quarterfinals but was eliminated by Wesley So. In December, Radjabov joined the Airthings Masters. He qualified for the playoffs and then defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi and Daniil Dubov. In the finals, he defeated Levon Aronian and won the Airthings Masters tournament.
In May 2021, FIDE decided to give Radjabov a direct spot in the Candidates Tournament 2022. He finished third in that tournament.
Notable Tournament Results
- 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
- 2005 European Individual Chess Championship, 2nd place
- 2006 Cap d'agde Rapid Chess, 1st place
- 2006 World Blitz Championship, 3rd place
- 2007 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, joint 1st place
- 2008 Elista FIDE Grand Prix, 1st place
- 2009 European Team Chess Championship, team 1st place
- 2010 World Blitz Championship, 2nd place
- 2013 European Team Chess Championship, team 1st place
- 2015 World Rapid Championship, joint 2nd 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
- 2021 Opera Euro Rapid, 3rd place
- 2021 Champions Chess Tour Final, 2nd place
- 2022 Candidates Tournament, 3rd place
Playing Style
| This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
Radjabov is known for bringing back the King's Indian Defence, a chess opening. He even used it to beat world No. 1, Magnus Carlsen, in 2014. He also often uses a sharp opening called the Schliemann–Jaenisch Gambit in the Ruy Lopez. People say Radjabov is excellent at fighting back, especially when his opponent makes a small mistake.
In 2003, when Radjabov was 15, he beat Kasparov with the black pieces. Radjabov's position was not good, but he made a brave move by sacrificing a knight. This surprised Kasparov, who then made a mistake and lost the game.
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This game was voted the most beautiful game of the tournament, though some disagreed. Supporters praised Radjabov's courage against the world's top player. Others argued that he was losing and only won because Kasparov made a big mistake. However, many strong players, like English grandmaster Nigel Short, praised Radjabov's knight sacrifice for its bravery.
Radjabov was the first player born after 1985 (when Kasparov first became World Chess Champion) to defeat him. He is also the youngest player ever to beat a reigning world No. 1 in a tournament game.
UNICEF Work
In May 2006, Teimour Radjabov was chosen as a UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for Azerbaijan. In this role, he helps promote important causes, like making sure everyone in the country uses iodized salt for better health. UNICEF leaders in Azerbaijan were very happy to have Radjabov join their efforts to improve the lives of children and young people. They believed he would inspire young people with his talents.
See also
In Spanish: Teimour Radjabov para niños
