Chess is one of the sports with deep historical roots and popularity in Azerbaijan. In the ancient poetic heritage of our people, it is possible to find information about chess in everyday life. Azerbaijani chess players have made a name for themselves in international tournaments both in the former USSR and during independence. After the restoration of our country's independence, the Chess Federation (ACF) resumed its activities in 1992 and soon became a member of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The instability in sports in general in the early 1990s did not go unnoticed in chess. A number of students of the Azerbaijani chess school left the country, and from time to time there were difficulties in participating in competitions organized abroad. Although those days are long gone, there are still serious shortcomings in this sport,

Unknown federation

Experts who know the current state of chess are clearly dissatisfied with the level of management and organization of the federation. Elman Rustamov, the head of the National Bank, has been the President of the ACF since 2007. However, de facto high-level affairs are under the control of First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov. It is no coincidence that for the past 13 years, Mr. Rustamov has not personally received any chess players or taken an interest in their problems.

Vice-presidents Faig Hasanov and Mahir Mammadov are the "gray cardinals" of the federation. They deal with the placement of "assigned" chess players and other unresolved issues. Of course, if an organization is headed by a careless and ignorant leader, any arbitrariness and chaos can take place there. Another shortcoming at the management level is that officials take responsibility for certain problems. Simply put, everyone pulls their collars aside. As a result, the problem is not only not eliminated, but even deeper. Some time ago, the federation was severely criticized by one of the local grandmasters. It turned out that the organization promotes people with fake degrees, sends them on business trips and seminars. When providing chess players with housing, preference is given to those who do not have enough services in this area. In other words, personal acquaintances and relationships are taken as criteria, not skills. The ACF naturally denies these allegations. We will try to cover this topic in detail in future articles.

Funds are allocated, it is not known what they are spent on

How the federation distributes its annual budget is also a mystery to many. Only the leadership knows what the 250,000 manat allocated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports is spent on. In 2017, he became the European champion for the third time in the history of the Azerbaijani men's chess team. After that, no one has full information about the fate of the 1 million manat allocated by the President for the development of chess in the country. It is said that Faig Hasanov wrote a reward of 100,000 manat from the funds. Let's try to believe that this money not only enriched the personal budgets of Faiq and his friends, but also spent them for their intended purpose. It is possible that the ACF wanted to inform the public about this or that issue. However, the press and public relations department of the organization could not fulfill its wish due to its poor work. The federation does not have a press secretary or official website. The Ministry of Youth and Sports shows "www.azerichess.az" as the official website of the Chess Federation. When you visit the link, a site reminiscent of the forums of 2007-10 is loaded. Although there are sections on Azerbaijani and Russian languages, the news is only in Russian. According to the federation, the official website of the ACF does not exist yet, it is being developed. The coronavirus pandemic was cited as the reason for the delay. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. The federation does not have a press secretary or official website. The Ministry of Youth and Sports shows "www.azerichess.az" as the official website of the Chess Federation. When you visit the link, a site reminiscent of the forums of 2007-10 is loaded. Although there are sections on Azerbaijani and Russian languages, the news is only in Russian. According to the federation, the official website of the ACF does not exist yet, it is being developed. The coronavirus pandemic was cited as the reason for the delay. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. The federation does not have a press secretary or official website. The Ministry of Youth and Sports shows "www.azerichess.az" as the official website of the Chess Federation. When you visit the link, a site reminiscent of the forums of 2007-10 is loaded. Although there are sections on Azerbaijani and Russian languages, the news is only in Russian. According to the federation, the official website of the ACF does not exist yet, it is being developed. The coronavirus pandemic was cited as the reason for the delay. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. When you visit the link, a site reminiscent of the forums of 2007-10 is loaded. Although there are sections on Azerbaijani and Russian languages, the news is only in Russian. According to the federation, the official website of the ACF does not exist yet, it is being developed. The coronavirus pandemic was cited as the reason for the delay. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. When you visit the link, a site reminiscent of the forums of 2007-10 is loaded. Although there are sections on Azerbaijani and Russian languages, the news is only in Russian. According to the federation, the official website of the ACF does not exist yet, it is being developed. The coronavirus pandemic was cited as the reason for the delay. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements. They did not say why they had not resolved this issue before. The lack of official information resources alone is a clear proof that the Chess Federation does not meet modern requirements.

Why should it be difficult to train a young chess player?

Azerbaijan has long been represented in prestigious chess competitions by Teymur Rajabov and Shahriyar Mammadyarov. Finally, 15-year-old Aydin Suleymanli achieved great success by taking first place among 50 grandmasters at the Aeroflot Open tournament. According to the latest ranking list of the International Chess Federation for February, T. Rajabov is in the 9th place, and Sh. Mammadyarov is in the 10th place. The mentioned chess players are students of Baku and Sumgayit schools. One of the concerns is the lack of world-class chess players from the regions of Azerbaijan. This should not come as a surprise against the background of the shortcomings faced by chess schools in the regions. The federation has long abandoned its interest in children's chess. There is no one to guide and support promising children.

Another point is the merger of chess and sports schools in 2017 by the Ministry of Education. At present, the director of a number of children and youth Shahmar Sports schools is engaged in boxing, football and others. are representatives of species. Since chess is a game that requires a different intellect, the unification reform of the Ministry of Education can be considered ineffective. Although the pilot project of chess was included in the curriculum of secondary schools in 2011, it was not possible to see a positive effect. Following the principle of "silence is gold", the ACF did not make a clear statement about the results of the project, and those who expected a detailed report from the Ministry of Education were wrong. The federation, which is struggling to train young chess players, considered its work over by bringing Arkady Naydich to the national team. However, nationalization in chess is an insult to the historical traditions of our country. Local talents,

The federation makes state care ineffective

Among the urgent problems for Azerbaijani chess is the "brain drain" abroad. Young coaches, who do not receive the necessary attention from the Chess Federation, consider it a good option to continue their activities in Europe and Turkey. The number of Azerbaijani coaches living in the brotherly country alone is around 50.

In fact, spoiling the chess potential of Azerbaijan and deliberately creating obstacles for young people is no different from a crime. Instead of burying talents alive, the ACF should think about updating its working methods and approaches. The sports community is aware of the state's care for the development of chess in the country. If this care is like the rays of the sun giving life to the earth, the analogue of the Chess Federation is an outdated black cover. This coating absorbs the rays and does not allow the plants under it to grow. However, it is not too late to revive the declining children's chess through rational measures and to restore the previous power of the game in general.

In the next series of articles on Azerbaijani chess, the problems in this field will be considered in more detail.