ASportIndependent states
Chess in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's national team has been European champion three times, and Baku hosted the Chess Olympiad in 2016.
Chess is Azerbaijan's best-loved mind sport and is taught as a school subject. The country has produced several generations of strong grandmasters, including Teimour Radjabov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Vugar Gashimov and Arkadij Naiditsch.
Azerbaijan's men's team won gold at the European Team Championship in 2009, 2013 and 2017.
Baku hosted the 42nd Chess Olympiad in 2016 and the FIDE World Cup in 2015 and 2023, and the annual Vugar Gashimov Memorial is a well-known tournament.
Sources
Updated: October 1, 2026