Shusha Chess-2022 international tournament marks 190th anniversary of great Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan

The Shusha Chess-2022 international chess tournament dedicated to the 190th anniversary of great Azerbaijani poetess and philanthropist Khurshidbanu Natavan has successfully kicked off in Azerbaijan’s city of Shusha, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.

The tournament’s opening ceremony featured a theatrical performance with Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan beating world-renowned French writer Alexandre Dumas in a chess duel.

Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov, President of Azerbaijan Chess Federation Mahir Mammadov, Special Representative of Azerbaijani President in Shusha district Aydin Karimov, Secretary General of Azerbaijan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) Azer Aliyev, SOCAR Vice President Khalig Mammadov, People’s writer of Azerbaijan Chingiz Abdullayev, members of the sports community and media representatives attended the ceremony.

The tournament, which involves men and women categories, brings together the chess players from 9 countries, who will compete in the Rapid and Blitz events. The total prize fund of the tournament is AZN 150,000.