Vugar Gashimov | |
|---|---|
 Gashimov in 2011 | |
| Full name | Vüqar Qasım oğlu Həşimov |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Born | (1986-07-24)24 July 1986 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 11 January 2014(2014-01-11) (aged 27) Heidelberg, Germany |
| Title | Grandmaster (2002) |
| Peak rating | 2761 (January 2012) |
| Peak ranking | No. 6 (November 2009) |
Vugar Gasim oghlu Hashimov[1] (Azerbaijani:Vüqar Qasım oğlu Həşimov; 24 July 1986 – 11 January 2014), known internationally asVugar Gashimov,[a] was an Azerbaijanichess grandmaster. He was a noted player ofblitz chess.[2] At his peakranking, he was No. 6 in the world, achieved in November 2009.[3]
He won theAthens 2005 (Acropolis International),[4] and tied for first at theCappelle-la-Grande open in 2007, he again tied for first and was winning it on tie-break in 2008. He won the strong and traditional invitation tournament atReggio Emilia in 2010–11 on tie-break aboveFrancisco Vallejo Pons.[5]
Gashimov was born on 24 July 1986 inBaku. He was the son of a retired army colonel who served at theDefense Ministry of Azerbaijan.[6]
In 2010, Gashimov won theReggio Emilia chess tournament.[7]
Gashimov played for Azerbaijan in theChess Olympiads of 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.[8] He played in the gold medal-winning Azerbaijani team at theEuropean Team Chess Championship inNovi Sad in 2009, alongsideShakhriyar Mamedyarov,Teimour Radjabov,Rauf Mammadov andGadir Guseinov, previously winning bronze medal in 2007.[9][10]In 2010, however, he did not represent his country at theChess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk due to a conflict with the national chess federation and former team coachZurab Azmaiparashvili.[11]
Gashimov was known as a particularly strongblitz chess player.[12]
At the peak of his playing career, he revived the fortunes of theModern Benoni, anopening that had become unpopular at the top level of chess, and used it to get good results against strong grandmasters, including even the leading players of the time, such asAlexander Grischuk (see§ Notable games).
Gashimov was known to enjoy football, table tennis andpool. He was also an avid fan ofJackie Chan movies.[2] He was managed by his older brother Sarkhan, an IT manager[13] who is also a master-level chess player.[14]
Doctors diagnosed Gashimov withepilepsy when he fell ill in February 2000, and shortly afterwards, discovered abrain tumor.[15] While receiving treatment for the brain tumor in a hospital inHeidelberg, Germany, Gashimov died in the early hours of 11 January 2014. He had been inactive from chess since playing in theTata Steel Chess Tournament in January 2012.[13][16][17] He was buried at theAlley of Honor in Baku.[18]
Chess grandmasters and sports professionals around the world reacted to Gashimov's death. Teimour Radjabov, one of Gashimov's closest teammates, said that he could not find "words to explain the deepest sorrow".[19]
Nigel Short described Gashimov as "a brilliant player and great guy."[20] Former world championGarry Kasparov said he was "deeply saddened", and found it "remarkable considering the medical obstacles he faced" that he made it to the top ten in the FIDE rating list.[21]Magnus Carlsen described Gashimov as "one of the most talented and original players I've met. He was always friendly with everyone and always smiling. I have many good memories with him from tournaments, especially in the Amber tournaments."[22]
Tributes also came from famous chess players such asShakhriyar Mamedyarov,Hikaru Nakamura,Levon Aronian,Alexandra Kosteniuk,Judit Polgár,Sergey Karjakin and many others.[23][24] One minute of silence was held at the 76th Tata Steel Chess Tournament and during all tournaments held inBaku in January 2014.[25][26]
Azerbaijani PresidentIlham Aliyev said, "Vugar Gashimov's services to the Azerbaijani sports are unmatched. Vugar Gashimov made an incomparable contribution to development of Azerbaijan's chess school, and glorified the country with his brilliant victories."[27][28]
The firstGashimov Memorial took place inŞəmkir in April 2014,[29] with participantsMagnus Carlsen,Fabiano Caruana,Shakhriyar Mamedyarov,Teimour Radjabov,Sergey Karjakin,Hikaru Nakamura,Étienne Bacrot,Wang Hao,Rauf Mamedov,Qadir Huseynov,Pavel Eljanov,Radosław Wojtaszek,Alexander Motylev,Eltaj Safarli,Nijat Abasov, andVasif Durarbayli.[30]
On 24 July 2014, a monument was unveiled on his grave in Baku.[31]
