Report.az
Rauf Mammadov has lost for the first time in the Azerbaijani championship after 23 years.
The grandmaster said this in a statement to "Report".
The last national champion, who stopped competing in the 1/4 finals, said that it is always difficult to win:
"I haven't lost a single time in the Azerbaijani championships since 2003. I had my first defeat after 23 years. This was the 7th national championship I participated in. I had won each of the previous 6 competitions. Of course, this had to happen sometime. My opponent is young and showed a very strong game. Therefore, I congratulate him. It is always difficult to be first. This responsibility creates excitement in a person. I think it will be more comfortable to play in the next competitions."
It should be noted that R. Mammadov stopped competing in the 1/4 finals of the Azerbaijani championship, losing to the young chess player Read Samadov.
