Ehsan Ghaem Maghami

Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami (Persian: احسان قائم‌مقامی; born 11 August 1982) is an Iranian chess grandmaster (2000).[1] He is the record holder of the Iranian Chess Championship with 13 titles.

Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami
Ghaem-Maghami in 2018
CountryIran
Born (1982-08-11) 11 August 1982
Tehran
TitleGrandmaster (2000)
FIDE rating2478 (October 2023)
Peak rating2633 (April 2005)
Peak rankingNo. 67 (April 2005)
Medal record
Chess
Representing  Iran
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Doha Mixed Team classical
Asian Indoor Games
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Macau Mixed Team rapid
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Quang Ninh Mixed Team blitz

On the September 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2583.

In 2004, he finished first in the Kish GM Tournament.[2] In 2009, he won a 20-game combined match (four classical, four rapid and twelve blitz games) against Anatoly Karpov, played with the proviso that each game be played to mate or dead draw. The overall score was eight wins to Ghaem-Maghami, seven wins to Karpov, and five draws.[3] In 2011, he finished first in the 10th Avicenna International Open Tournament in Hamadan, Iran.[4]

Early life

Ehsan was born in Tehran and learned to play chess from his father. His rise in the chess community was swift as he won the Iranian men's championship title by age 14.

Career achievements
First International Grandmaster in Iranian chess history.
Captain and player of the 1st board in Iran chess national team for the previous 14 years.
Record holder of the Iran championship title at different ages.

Guinness World Record

An Iranian grandmaster, he ousted the Israeli title holder on 9 February 2011 to regain the Guinness record for simultaneous chess games after facing more than 600 players in over 25 hours.

Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami, then 28 years old, won 97.35 percent of his games which began on 2011/02/08 in Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, a feat reportedly making him the new Guinness title holder of the game.[5]

Of the total 604 games, Ghaem-Maghami won 580, lost 8 and drew 16 in a feat that took more than 25 hours and treading around 55 kilometres (34 mi) as he moved from opponent to opponent. "I am so happy to break the record" a victorious yet exhausted Ehsan remarked, adding "... ,but now I have to break my sleep record". Reportedly, a physician, a masseur and a dietician were monitoring him throughout the match. He said he would have put in the same zeal even if the previous title holder was a non-Israeli. "Iran is great and deserves the best. Let's not talk politics... even if this record was held by another person, I would have gone all out to break it," he said after the matches when asked about ousting Israeli Alik Gershon.

Chess career

In October 2011, Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami was expelled from the Corsica Masters in Bastia, France for refusing to play in his scheduled match against Israeli player Ehud Shachar. Ghaem-Maghami told organizers he would not play the Israeli for political reasons. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which refuses to recognize the existence of the Jewish state, has long refused to engage in sports competition against Israel.[6]

In 2013 he played against British Grandmaster Nigel Short in his native homeland.[7]

References
  1. Akbarinia, Arash (5 January 2007). "Iran emerges as a chess nation". ChessBase.
  2. "Archive. Tournament report April 2004: Kish GM". World Chess Federation. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. "Ghaem Maghami beats Karpov in 'Mate of the King'". ChessBase. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  4. "GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami dominates another tournament". Chessdom. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  5. "World Record 604 Board Simultaneous Chess Exhibition by GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (IRI)". Chessdom. 10 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  6. "Iran chess champ expelled for refusing Israel game". chessvibes.com. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  7. "GMs Nigel Short and Ehsan Ghaem Maghami Play the Talking Chess in Tehran". Chess News. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
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