"Although the 'Battle of Champions' tournament had a friendly character, there was an uncompromising struggle behind the board."
This was stated by the President of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, FIDE Vice-President Mahir Mammadov in his statement to Idman.biz.
He admitted that he enjoyed the matches of Rauf Mammadov against Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Gunay Mammadzada against Antoaneta Stefanova: "We saw rare moves in the games. Azerbaijani champions Rauf Mammadov and Gunay Mammadzada, as well as world champions Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Antoaneta Stefanova, were full of ideas in the competition. Chess fans were amazed by the intensity of the struggle, no one wanted to give up. I thank the National Carpet Museum for the opportunity to hold the tournament in such a memorable place."
It should be noted that Rauf Mammadov defeated Kasimdzhanov based on the overall results of rapid and blitz games, while Mammadzada was stronger than Stefanova.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz