Nepo and Fedoseev shine in Azerbaijan

The 11th edition of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial took place in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, and was held as a combined rapid and blitz event. The tournament was organised by the Vugar Gashimov Chess Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan and the Chess Federation of Azerbaijan. Games were played at the Khankendi Congress Center, with the official opening ceremony held on 9 December 2025. The rapid section was contested on 10–11 December, followed by the blitz tournament on 12 December.

Both the rapid and blitz sections were played as double round-robin tournaments with six players. Final standings were determined by the combined score from both sections, with equal weighting given to rapid and blitz results. Wins were awarded one point and draws half a point in both time controls.

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The Gashimov Memorial honours the memory of Azerbaijani grandmaster Vugar Gashimov (1986–2014). The event was held in Shamkir from 2014 to 2019 as a classical single round-robin tournament, during which it was commonly known as Shamkir Chess. After a one-year break in 2020, the memorial returned in 2021 in a rapid and blitz format, with subsequent editions staged in Baku, Qabala, Shusha and, for the first time, Khankendi.

Previous winners

Players paying tribute to Vugar Gashimov's memory | Photo: Official website

The 2025 edition featured six players, including two representatives from Azerbaijan: Rauf Mamedov and Aydin Suleymanli. They were joined by Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) and Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan).

The rapid section was won by Nepomniachtchi, the defending champion, who finished undefeated on 6½ points out of 10 and was the only player not to lose a game. Fedoseev followed closely in second place on 6/10, having lost to Nepomniachtchi and Yakubboev. Tabatabaei and Yakubboev shared third place with 5/10, leaving them within reach of the leader ahead of the blitz tournament.

Final standings - Rapid

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Amin Tabatabaei | Photo: Official website

Nodirbek Yakubboev | Photo: Official website

In the blitz section, Nepomniachtchi was defeated by Yakubboev in the opening round, allowing Fedoseev to draw level in the overall standings. Nepomniachtchi responded with a win in the following round and then defeated Fedoseev in their first blitz encounter to regain the sole lead. The title race remained closely contested throughout the event. A loss by Nepomniachtchi in round five kept Fedoseev within striking distance, and by the time the players met again in round eight, they were tied on overall points. Their direct encounter ended in a 50-move draw, leaving the standings unchanged.

Both players won their final two games, finishing the tournament level on combined points. Fedoseev scored 7/10 in the blitz section, while Nepomniachtchi finished on 6½/10. As the first tiebreak criterion was the result of the rapid tournament, Nepomniachtchi was declared the overall winner, having outscored Fedoseev in that section. This victory gave Nepomniachtchi his second consecutive title at the Vugar Gashimov Memorial.

Nepomniachtchi's final-round victory in the blitz featured a good-looking combination which included a strong exchange sacrifice. The eventual champion's strong nerves allowed him to find the sequence while under pressure for the tournament situation.

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Ian Nepomniachtchi | Photo: Official website

Vladimir Fedoseev | Photo: Official website

Final standings - Blitz

Final standings - Overall

All games - Rapid

All games - Blitz

Links

• Official website
• Throwback Thursday: Vugar Gashimov's brilliant legacy
• Five years after his death, Vugar Gashimov's games still live on