Teimour Radjabov is the king of the chess world

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Chess fans probably know who Teimour Radjabov is. While still a fifteen-year-old boy, he beat Kasparov himself. Now Teimur is 31, he has turned from a child prodigy into a respected grandmaster, distinguished by meaningful and bright play. We will tell about the life and career of one of the strongest chess players in the world in the article.

Biography

Teimour Radjabov was born on 1987-12-03 in Baku. His father, Boris Efimovich Sheinin, is a petroleum engineer by education, the author of several inventions and a candidate of technical sciences. Mom is an English teacher, Teymur bears her last name.

From early childhood, the boy watched his father play chess. Boris Sheinin was a fairly strong player, often went to the Pioneer Palace to compete with worthy opponents, and took his son with him. So Teimour Radjabov became interested in chess. Boris Efimovich was unspeakably glad that his son shared his passion, began to work diligently with him and pass on his experience. Teimur absorbed information very easily and played complex games very well. Then Sheinin realized that he was raising a champion.

The first game of a little chess playertook place when he was only four years old. The spectators present at the competition were amazed by the unusual thinking of the boy, who was able to compete even with experienced players.

First competition

In the following years, Teimour Radjabov already participated in the championships of the junior age group, won victories at the world and European championships. Such high results could not go unnoticed by the press. The boy was talked about as a new grandmaster, he was predicted to have a great future.

And the victories were not long in coming: Teimur soon took first place in the Kasparov Cup, beating older and more experienced guys. After that, he realized that he really had great potential, and decided to participate in the European Championship. Twelve-year-old Teimour Radjabov was the youngest player in the championship, but this did not prevent him from becoming the champion in the age group under eighteen.

In 2001, when the young chess player was fourteen, he achieved incredible success - he became a grandmaster. Only a few players in the world have achieved such a title at such a young age.

Career development

Teimour Radjabov's father, who until that moment had also acted as his coach, insisted that a more qualified specialist train his son. Boris Efimovich understood that he could teach the newly minted grandmaster nothing more.

The eminent chess player Zurab Azmaiparashvili became the new coach of the young man. Cooperation with him went toin favor of Teimour: he took second place at the Najdorf Memorial held in Buenos Aires, and also became a finalist in the Moscow Grand Prix stage. In 2002, Radjabov ranked 93rd in the FIDE Top 100 Chess Players.

At the age of fifteen, the young man was included in the World team to participate in the "Match of the Century". Then many doubted whether such an important mission should be entrusted to a very young chess player. But Teimour Radjabov did not let the country down and in his match against the Russian team he was able to score five points out of ten possible, which was a pretty good result.

Victory after victory

In 2003, the Azerbaijani grandmaster beat Ruslan Ponomariov in Wijk aan Zee, Garry Kasparov in Linares and Viswanathan Ananda in Dortmund. Thus, he became the first player to defeat three world champions within one year. Of course, the game with the legendary Kasparov caused the greatest excitement. The media was full of headlines about how a fifteen-year-old debutant defeated a chess genius.

In 2004, Teymur went to the World Championship in Libya. At first, the game was easy for him, but in the semi-finals he lost to Englishman Michael Adams. This did not break Radjabov, the next year he won the tournament in Spain, and also became the second in the European championship in Poland.

In 2006, the chess player won silver at the super tournament in Linares, and in 2008 he won the World Rapid Chess Cup, defeating Russian Alexander Grischuk in the final.

In 2009, Teimour Rajabov led the Azerbaijani team in the gameagainst the World team, which took place in Baku as part of the Heydar Aliyev Presidential Cup.

Failures and new successes

In 2011, after successful performances in the Grand Prix series, the chess player entered the Candidates matches, but dropped out of the fight after a tie-break with V. Kramnik. The Candidates Tournament in London in 2013 was also unsuccessful for Radjabov, and there was a certain decline in his career that lasted for several years.

However, Teimur soon began to regain lost positions and in 2017 he again joined the fight for the world crown. He won the FIDE Grand Prix in Geneva, Switzerland, for which he received twenty thousand euros as a prize.

Private life

In October 2011, Teimour Borisovich Radjabov married Elnara Nasirli, the daughter of the vice-president of the Azerbaijani oil company. Young people met at a football match. Then they were simply introduced to each other, and that was the end of the conversation. Soon Elnara left for London, and after some time Teymur found her on a social network and wrote. From that moment on, chess broke into the measured everyday life of the girl: training, training camps, meetings with opponents - all this became a part of her life.

The wedding took place in Baku, the ceremony was attended by many eminent guests, including the President of Azerbaijan and the first lady of the country. Chess became the main theme of the event: the reception hall was decorated in the style of a checkered board with pieces, and a video dedicated to the milestones of Teimur's career was broadcast on the big screen. Radjabova.

2013-03-07 the couple had a daughter, Maryam. According to his wife, Teimur is a very caring and kind dad, he loves his daughter madly and, despite being busy, is actively involved in her upbringing.