Teimour Radjabov: Biography, Achievements & Lasting Legacy

Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov (also spelled Teymur Rajabov; Russian: Теймур Борис оглу Раджабов, Azerbaijani: Teymur Boris oğlu Rəcəbov, pronounced [tejˈmuɾ boˈɾis oɣˈlu ɾæˈdʒæbof]; born 12 March 1987) is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster.

A former child prodigy, he earned the title of Grandmaster in March 2001 at age 14, the second-youngest grandmaster in history at the time. In 2003, Radjabov gained international attention after beating the then-world No. 1 Garry Kasparov in the Linares tournament, followed by victories over former world champions Viswanathan Anand and Ruslan Ponomariov the same year. Radjabov continued his progress over the years to become an elite chess player. In November 2012, he achieved his peak rating of 2793 and was ranked as number 4 in the world. This made Radjabov the nineteenth-highest rated player in chess history.

He has thrice competed at the Candidates Tournament, in 2011, 2013, and 2022 (where he obtained third place); he also qualified for the 2020 edition but withdrew due to the coronavirus pandemic. He won the European Team Chess Championship with Azerbaijan in 2009, 2013, and 2017. His major individual achievements include joint first place in the 2007 Corus tournament, winning the 2008 Elista Grand Prix, 2017 Geneva Grand Prix, 2019 FIDE World Cup, and 2021 Airthings Masters.