National squads for European Team Chess Championship 2015 named

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan has named its squads to compete in the European Team Chess Championship 2015, which will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, between November 12 and 22.

The national men’s team includes GMs Teymur Rajabov, Shahriyar Mammadyarov, Arkady Naydich, Rauf Mammadov, and Eltaj Safarli.

The women’s team, in turn, consists of Zeynab Mammadyarova, Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Gulnar Mammadova, Kheyale Abdulla, and Narmin Kazimova.

Some 36 teams from the continent will compete for the title at the championship, which will be played according to the Swiss System in nine rounds, with one open section and one section for the women’s teams.

Time control will be 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game plus a 30-second increment for every move played.

The total prize fund is EUR20,000, with EUR5,000 being offered as the first prize for both sections. The top three teams in both sections will receive trophies and medals.

So far, the Azerbaijani men’s team has twice become the European Champion. The first time, in Novi Sad, Serbia, in 2009, the national team comprised Teymur Rajabov, Vugar Gashimov, Gadir Huseynov, Shakhriyar Mammadyarov, and Rauf Mammadov.

At their second victory, in Warsaw, Poland, in 2013, the team comprised Shakhriyar Mammadyarov, Teymur Radjabov, Eltaj Safarli, Rauf Mammadov, and Gadir Huseynov.

These two victories were historical moments for the country, as it demonstrated the development of chess in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the team won a silver medal in 2011 and bronze in 2007.