OMM Newsroom
Azerbaijani chess player Shakhriyar Mammadyarov played his opening matches in the group stage of the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
On November 11, Mammadyarov faced Armenian representative Hayk Martirosyan in two games. The Azerbaijani grandmaster won the first game with the black pieces. Martirosyan won the second game after the colors were switched. Mammadyarov thus ended the day with one win and one loss.
Standings in Group C
Under the tournament rules, a win is worth three points and a draw one point. Mammadyarov is third in Group C with three points. Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri, who are also competing in the group, drew both games and have two points each.
Mammadyarov will face Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi on November 12. He will play the first game with the white pieces and the second with the black pieces.
Twenty-four players are competing in the tournament across four groups of six. The group stage will conclude on November 15, and the tournament will end on November 20.
Context
On November 11, Mammadyarov finished 20th with 3.5 points in the blitz stage of the Total Chess Pilot 2026 tournament.
