Teimour Radjabov

Born on 12 March 1987 in Baku, Azerbaijan, to Boris Sheynin, a former strong Soviet first-category player, and Leyla Radjabova, an English teacher.

Started playing chess at age three, initially coached by his father, who left his engineering job to dedicate more time to his son's development.

Attended secondary school number 160 in Baku while immersing himself in rigorous chess training.

His early successes came rapidly; at 12, he won the European U-18 Championship, where the silver medalist was six years older than him.

Attended secondary school number 160 in Baku, balancing his studies with intensive chess training.

His father, a strong chess player himself, was his first and most influential coach.

One of the strongest players in the world, ranked as high as No. 4; a World Championship Candidate on multiple occasions.

Became a Grandmaster in March 2001 at age 14, the second-youngest Grandmaster in history at the time.

Won the 2019 Chess World Cup, defeating Ding Liren in the final.

Known as a "prodigious legend-slayer" for his victories over Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand as a teenager.

A key member of the Azerbaijani national team, winning multiple European Team Championships.

Known for his solid, classical style and his deep opening preparation.

Radjabov stunned the chess world by defeating Garry Kasparov with the black pieces at age 16.

He is a creative classical player, always taking care of the fundamentals of the position.

He has a passion for travel vlogs about Azerbaijan's food and culture.

"My top 3 in chess history are Karpov, Tal, and Fischer."

Radjabov for Buffs by Lyudmil Tsvetkov — presents 17 games from his earlier career, annotated move by move.