BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov told reporters about an extra motivation for him following the victory of Qarabağ FK and Sabah football clubs, Trend reports.
Abasov made the remark on the sidelines of tie-break at the World Chess Cup in Baku.
On August 11, Qarabağ FK defeated HJK (Finland) and Sabah won Partizan (Serbia) within the third qualifying rounds of UEFA Europe League and Europa Conference League, respectively.
Today, Abasov, by defeating Peter Svidler (FIDE), advanced to the fifth round of the World Cup in Baku (1/8 finals among men). In the fifth round, the opponent of the Azerbaijani chess player will be Salem Saleh (UAE).
"In the first classical game of the fourth round, I started with a slight disadvantage. However, during the game, I realized that it was a second chance which I had to use. In the end, I played to a draw. The second classical game also ended in a draw, so I had to play in a tiebreaker. The incentive after winning against Anish Giri (Netherlands) in the tiebreaker of the third round helped me, and today the outcome of the game was in my favor," Abasov emphasized.
The chess player noted that reaching the 1/8 finals of the World Cup can be considered a great success in his career, but he expressed hope to achieve new big victories in the future.
"The 1/8 finals of the World Cup are a challenging stage with no weak opponents. I'll do my best to continue performing well," he emphasized.
The chess player said that he watched the football match between Qarabağ FK and HJK team at the stadium.
"I went to the Qarabağ's game to support it. I was rooting so passionately that the next morning I found out that I even lost my voice a bit," he reminded.
Abasov expressed his gratitude to everyone who supports him in the World Cup.
"I'm grateful to everyone; today, I found out that someone even came from Beylagan to cheer for me," the chess player added.
The starting list of the World Chess Cup of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Baku included 206 chess players in the open section and 103 in the women's section.
For the second time, Azerbaijan is hosting the Chess World Cup. For the first time, the top three competitors from the open and women's categories will earn a spot in the 2024 Men's Candidates Tournament and Women's Candidates Tournament, respectively.
On the competition's official website, matches from the FIDE World Cup-2023 are broadcast in both Azerbaijani and English.
Up through August 25th, competitions will be held. The winning prize stands at $2.5 million.
The World Chess Cup is being held at Marriott Boulevard in Baku.
Azerbaijan is represented by team of 17 chess players, including Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Teymur Rajabov, Gunay Mammadzade, Rauf Mammadov, Gadir Huseynov, Vasif Durarbayli, Nijat Abbasov, Abdulla Gadimbayli, Misratdin Isgandarov, Muhammad Muradli, Vugar Asadli, Riad Samadov, Aydin Suleymanli, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gulnar Mammadova, Khanim Balajayeva, and Govhar Beydullayeva.