Rauf Mamedov and Gunay Mammadzada have won the Azerbaijani Championships for 2025, achieving their seventh and third national titles.
The 2025 Azerbaijan Championships were held in Baku. Both the open and women’s tournaments were knockout events with classical time controls. The prize funds were 60,000 AZN for the open and 30,000 AZN for the women’s sections, with champions receiving 20,000 AZN and 10,000 AZN.
The 2025 Open Championship featured a very strong lineup, with all of Azerbaijan’s leading players participating.
The top seeds reached the semifinals. Misratdin Iskandarov, initially ranked #12, upset Nijat Abasov and Aydin Suleymanli to get to the final four.
In the first semifinal, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Iskandarov. In the second semifinal, Rauf Mamedov beat Teimour Radjabov in an Armageddon game.
The final match was dramatic. After draws in classical and the first tiebreaker games, Mamedyarov blundered a rook in an equal endgame, giving the title to Mamedov.
In the bronze medal match, Iskandarov defeated Radjabov.
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov playing white against Rauf Mamedov
The podium
