Shahriyar Mammadyarov: "Federation officials are to blame for Azerbaijani chess team’s failure in the Olympiad"

The Grand Master, double champion among youths was not involved to the 37th chess Olympiad. He blamed the Chess Federation authorities for the failure of Azerbaijani chess teams of men and women in Turin, Italy. According to him, the Federation officials could have sent stronger staff to the Olympiad even two days before the Olympiad started.

"It was a complete fiasco for our teams if compared with last year. Our women chess players, who won Armenian team for the first time in the history of Olympiad, were not involved to the team this time. As coming to our men chess players, if I were in the team, it would have come fourth in the Olympiad. I was expected to be invited to the team event to the last day. But it did not happen because of personal hostility with me. I wanted to worthily represent Azerbaijan in the Olympiad," the chess player told APA exclusively.

Mammdyarov was satisfied with our Grand Master Teymour Radjabov's performance. "I congratulated Teymour on his victory. Vugar Hashimov also played well. Rauf Mammadov and Gadir Huseynov could have scored more points. Namig Guliyev is a good chess player but I think he was anxious this time," Mammadyarov said.