BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 16. The support of chess fans gives motivation, Azerbaijani chess player, grandmaster Nijat Abasov told reporters after winning the second game of the sixth round (1/4 finals among men), Trend reports.
Abasov's opponent in the 1/4 finals was Santosh Gujrathi (India). In the first game of the sixth round, Abasov played a draw, and in the second he beat his opponent. The total score of the game is 1.5 – 0.5 in favor of Abasov. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) will be Abasov's opponent in the semifinals.
Nijat Abasov said that to feel such support from the fans is an incredible feeling.
"I tried to keep my concentration, the opponent made some mistakes, which gave me the opportunity to take the initiative, and in the end I won. At the beginning of the tournament, I did not expect to reach the semifinals, but the support of the audience, fans gave me additional strength and faith to feel such support is an incredible feeling," Abasov said.
He admitted that he has not yet decided how he will spend tomorrow's day off.
"Tomorrow is my day off, I have no plans yet, because the game has just ended. I'll rest a little and start preparing for the game in the semifinals. My opponent in the 1/2 finals will be Magnus Carlsen, I have never played a classic game with him. We had friendly matches. In the semifinals, I will try to do my best," he said.
After Teymur Rajabov, Nijat Abasov became the second Azerbaijani chess player to reach the semifinals of the World Chess Cup.
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.