Teimour Radjabov is the Azerbaijani grandmaster who announced himself to the world in the most dramatic way possible: as a 15-year-old, he beat the reigning world No. 1, Garry Kasparov, at the elite Linares tournament in 2003 — and did it with the black pieces. He went on to become a fixture in the world’s top ten, reached a peak classical rating of 2793 (in 2012, ranked world No. 4), and later crowned his career by winning the brutal knockout 2019 Chess World Cup. He’s also the player most responsible for making the King’s Indian Defense respectable again at the very top of the game.
Quick facts
- Full name: Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijani: Teymur Rəcəbov) · Born: 12 March 1987, Baku, Azerbaijan (then the Soviet Union)
- Title: Grandmaster (earned in 2001, at age 14 — second-youngest in history at the time)
- Peak rating: 2793 (2012), world No. 4
- Biggest title: winner of the 2019 Chess World Cup (Khanty-Mansiysk)
- Famous for: beating Kasparov as a 15-year-old (Linares 2003); reviving the King’s Indian Defense
- Style: solid, deeply prepared, and famously hard to beat — a resourceful counter-attacker
Who is Teimour Radjabov?
Born in Baku in 1987, Radjabov was a genuine prodigy. He earned the grandmaster title in 2001 at just 14 years old — at the time the second-youngest grandmaster in history. But it was 2003 that made him famous overnight. That year, still a teenager, he beat three of the biggest names in chess with the black pieces: former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov (at Wijk aan Zee), former World Champion Viswanathan Anand (at Dortmund), and — most sensationally — the reigning world No. 1 Garry Kasparov at Linares. He became the first player ever to beat three former or reigning FIDE World Champions with Black in a single year, and the youngest player ever to defeat the world’s top-ranked player in a tournament game.
From there, Radjabov settled in as one of the most consistent elite players of his generation — a mainstay of the super-tournament circuit for two decades and a pillar of Azerbaijan’s strong national team. He was never a flashy, headline-grabbing attacker in his prime years; instead he became known for being incredibly difficult to beat, blending deep opening preparation with cool, resourceful defense.
What is Radjabov’s playing style?
Radjabov is celebrated for solid, resilient, deeply-prepared chess. As a teenager he was a fearless, sharp attacker who threw the razor-sharp King’s Indian Defense and dynamic Sicilians at the world’s best. Over time he evolved into something rarer: an elite player who is remarkably tough to beat, riding long unbeaten streaks by combining excellent preparation with calm, accurate defense. He’s widely described as an excellent counter-attacker — patient enough to absorb pressure, then pounce the moment an opponent slips.
We break it down, with examples, in Radjabov’s playing style.
What openings does Teimour Radjabov play?
Radjabov’s name is bound up with the King’s Indian Defense — a sharp, hypermodern reply to 1.d4 in which Black lets White build a big center, then blows it up with a kingside storm. He is often credited with almost single-handedly reviving the King’s Indian at the very top level, where many had written it off as too risky against modern preparation. As Black against 1.e4 he’s also a long-time expert in the Sicilian Defense (the Sveshnikov and Kalashnikov systems), and earlier in his career he scored famous wins in the French Defense — including that game against Kasparov.
See the full repertoire in Radjabov’s openings.
Career highlights
- 2001: earns the grandmaster title at age 14 — second-youngest GM in history at the time.
- 2003: as a 15-year-old, beats reigning world No. 1 Garry Kasparov at Linares (with Black), plus Anand and Ponomariov the same year.
- 2000s–2010s: a long-running fixture in the world top ten and a leader of Azerbaijan’s national team.
- 2012: reaches his peak rating of 2793, ranked world No. 4.
- 2009, 2013, 2017: wins European Team Championship gold with Azerbaijan.
- 2019: wins the Chess World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, defeating Ding Liren in the final.
- 2022: finishes third in the Candidates Tournament.
The best games
From the Kasparov upset to his cold-blooded run through the 2019 World Cup, Radjabov’s biggest games are a study in nerve and preparation. We’ve gathered the standouts in Teimour Radjabov’s best games.
Fun facts
- His 2003 win over Kasparov was voted the tournament’s best game — and Kasparov was so furious about the award that he stormed the microphone at the closing ceremony to object. (More in his facts page.)
- He’s often credited with reviving the King’s Indian Defense at elite level, an opening many top players had abandoned as too dangerous.
- He was once the second-youngest grandmaster in history, earning the title at 14.
- He comes from Azerbaijan, a genuine chess powerhouse whose national team he’s helped lead to multiple European golds.
FAQ
Did Teimour Radjabov really beat Kasparov? Yes. At Linares 2003, a 15-year-old Radjabov beat the reigning world No. 1 Garry Kasparov with the black pieces — a result that made headlines around the chess world.
What is Teimour Radjabov’s highest rating? 2793, reached in 2012, when he was ranked world No. 4 — one of the highest ratings ever recorded.
Has Radjabov ever been World Champion? Not the classical World Champion, but he won the 2019 Chess World Cup, a grueling knockout event, beating Ding Liren in the final. He also finished third in the 2022 Candidates Tournament.
What opening is Radjabov famous for? The King’s Indian Defense. He’s widely credited with reviving it as a serious weapon at the top level.
When did Radjabov become a grandmaster? In 2001, at the age of 14 — the second-youngest grandmaster in history at the time.
Keep exploring
Dig deeper into Azerbaijan’s resilient star: his best games · his playing style · his opening repertoire · his rating history · fun facts & records · or browse all chess players.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.