Shahriyar Mammadyarov: "This system psychologically hinders me in the most important moments"

"People want Teymur Rajabov to face me in the final. But there is also a possibility that the decisive meeting will not be between us." Sport24.az reports that Shahriyar Mammadyarov said these thoughts in a statement to the press service of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation while talking about the national championship.

He said that he could not achieve great success in the Olympic system: "Shahriyar Mammadyarov cannot be himself because the number of games is small. This system psychologically hinders me in the most important moments. People want Teymur Rajabov to face Shahriyar Mammadyarov in the final. Our young chess players also perform here. They are in very good shape. There is also a possibility that this final will not happen. I have been playing with Teymur for years, and I am looking forward to meeting younger opponents with more interest."

Mammadyarov spoke about his victory over Farid Abbasov in the 1/8 finals: "If I am not mistaken, I last participated in the Azerbaijan championship 23 years ago. When I was 12-13 years old, Farid muallim won a medal at the European Championship among 18-year-olds. He was a very good chess player. There are few national championships in the world where leading chess players perform. This year's Azerbaijan Championship is completely different. It is a tournament full of surprises. I have good friendships with the chess players here. No matter which opponent comes, I will fight with him."