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Alireza Firouzja
Firouzja 
 

Number of games in database: 1,494
Years covered: 2015 to 2025
Last FIDE rating: 2757 (2754 rapid, 2857 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2804
Overall record: +178 -86 =197 (60.0%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 1033 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (116) 
    C65 C67 C70 C78 C92
 Sicilian (114) 
    B90 B30 B45 B31 B48
 Giuoco Piano (55) 
    C50 C53
 Queen's Pawn Game (54) 
    D02 A45 D04 A46 E00
 French Defense (37) 
    C11 C18 C02 C10 C15
 Sicilian Najdorf (34) 
    B90 B96 B94 B97 B91
With the Black pieces:
 Sicilian (137) 
    B90 B51 B67 B22 B30
 King's Indian (80) 
    E94 E92 E71 E73 E66
 Ruy Lopez (64) 
    C67 C78 C65 C77 C92
 Caro-Kann (64) 
    B12 B10 B13 B18 B11
 Sicilian Najdorf (45) 
    B90 B92 B91 B93 B96
 Queen's Pawn Game (43) 
    A45 D02 A46 A40 D05
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Firouzja vs Ding Liren, 2022 1/2-1/2
   Firouzja vs Bluebaum, 2017 1-0
   Firouzja vs M Zarkovic, 2019 1-0
   Firouzja vs Rapport, 2021 1-0
   Firouzja vs Carlsen, 2021 1-0
   V Erdos vs Firouzja, 2021 0-1
   Radjabov vs Firouzja, 2022 1/2-1/2
   Firouzja vs Rapport, 2022 1-0
   Caruana vs Firouzja, 2022 0-1
   Firouzja vs Carlsen, 2023 1-0

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Iranian Championship (2019)
   FIDE Grand Swiss (2021)
   European Team Championship (2021)
   Norway Chess (2020)
   Chessbrah May Invitational (2020)
   Chessable Masters (2021)
   Bullet Chess Championship (2023)
   Chess.com SpeedChess Finals (2024)
   SuperUnited Croatia (2022)
   FTX Crypto Cup (2022)
   Freestyle Grand Tour Weissenhaus (2025)
   TechM Global Chess League (2024)
   New In Chess Classic (2021)
   chess.com Speed Chess (2020)
   Magnus Carlsen Invitational (2020)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   0ZeR0's collected games volume 212 by 0ZeR0

RECENT GAMES:
   🏆 Superbet POL Rapid
   Firouzja vs Topalov (Apr-28-25) 1-0, rapid
   C Aravindh vs Firouzja (Apr-28-25) 1-0, rapid
   Vachier-Lagrave vs Firouzja (Apr-28-25) 1/2-1/2, rapid
   Duda vs Firouzja (Apr-27-25) 1/2-1/2, rapid
   Firouzja vs R Praggnanandhaa (Apr-27-25) 1-0, rapid

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Alireza Firouzja
Search Google for Alireza Firouzja
FIDE player card for Alireza Firouzja

ALIREZA FIROUZJA
(born Jun-18-2003, 21 years old) Iran (federation/nationality France)

[what is this?]

International Master (2016); Grandmaster (2018); Asian U12 Champion (2015); Iranian Champion (2016, 2019); Asian Blitz Champion (2018)

In January, 2016, Alireza Firouzja won the Iranian national championship at age 12, with a score of 8-3. As of May 2016, he was the highest rated player in the world under 14. Along with Parham Maghsoodloo (who commandeered their top board) and Arash Tahbaz (8 out of 9 games played at their 4th seat), the 3 each scored 7.5 for Iran and a team win at the 2016 World youth chess Olympiad(1). Firouzja also earned the silver medal on second board at that event. He scored eight points from nine games at the 2017 WYCO(2) playing as Iran's second board.

At the FIDE World Cup in September 2019, Firouzja defeated Arman Pashikian and Daniil Dubov in rounds one and two, respectively. This made Firouzja the first Iranian player to reach the third round of a Chess World Cup. In round three, he faced the number-one seed Ding Liren. Firouzja drew with Ding in the two classical games, but lost both of the rapid tiebreakers and was eliminated from the tournament.

Firouzja participated in the 2020 annual Norway Chess supertournament, in Stavanger. The tournament was held with a football scoring system (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss). In the case of a draw, players played an armageddon game for an additional 1/2 point. Firouzja finished in second place, behind World Champion Magnus Carlsen and ahead of Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

He is the second-youngest player ever to reach a rating of 2700 (after Wei Yi), at the age of 16 years and 1 month. By his eighteenth birthday in June 2021 he was rated 2759 and ranked 13th in the world.

In September 2021, Firouzja finished in second place in the Norway Chess supertournament, behind Magnus Carlsen, but ahead of a field including World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi and former challenger Sergey Karjakin. He scored +5 -2 =3 in standard time control games, and moved into the world's top 10 for the first time in the October 2021 rating list.

In November 2021, he won the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament (+6 -1 =4), which qualified him for the Candidates Tournament 2022.

Since 2019, he has been based in France, and he became a French citizen in July 2021.

References / Sources

(1) http://wyco2016chess.sk/en (2016 World youth chess Olympiad), (2) http://www.chess-results.com/tnr319... (2017 World Youth Chess Olympiad).

Wikipedia article: Alireza Firouzja

Last updated: 2021-11-21 06:02:41

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 60; games 1-25 of 1,494  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Y Solodovnichenko vs Firouzja 1-0512015Dubai Chess OpenB51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
2. S Kidambi vs Firouzja  ½-½1202015Dubai Chess OpenA16 English
3. Firouzja vs I Abdelnabbi  1-0412015Dubai Chess OpenC71 Ruy Lopez
4. M Karthikeyan vs Firouzja  1-0582015Dubai Chess OpenB90 Sicilian, Najdorf
5. Firouzja vs S Grover  0-1412015Dubai Chess OpenA07 King's Indian Attack
6. P Rout vs Firouzja  1-0108201522nd Abu Dhabi MastersB90 Sicilian, Najdorf
7. Firouzja vs P Tregubov 1-0422015Qatar MastersA06 Reti Opening
8. Swiercz vs Firouzja 1-0502015Qatar MastersB90 Sicilian, Najdorf
9. Firouzja vs R Svane  ½-½702015Qatar MastersB17 Caro-Kann, Steinitz Variation
10. Firouzja vs H Dronavalli  ½-½342015Qatar MastersA05 Reti Opening
11. B Esen vs Firouzja  1-0402015Qatar MastersE60 King's Indian Defense
12. S Lorparizangeneh vs Firouzja 0-1712015Qatar MastersE84 King's Indian, Samisch, Panno Main line
13. Firouzja vs S Bromberger  ½-½402015Qatar MastersA04 Reti Opening
14. M Al Sayed vs Firouzja  1-0482015Qatar MastersD80 Grunfeld
15. Firouzja vs N Das 1-0592015Qatar MastersA07 King's Indian Attack
16. E Ghaem Maghami vs Firouzja 0-1422016IRI-ch Men Final 2015E61 King's Indian
17. S Lu vs Firouzja 1-0642016Aeroflot OpenB51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
18. Firouzja vs K Kulaots  ½-½902016Aeroflot OpenB41 Sicilian, Kan
19. B Lalith vs Firouzja 1-0392016Aeroflot OpenE90 King's Indian
20. B Socko vs Firouzja  ½-½892016Aeroflot OpenB91 Sicilian, Najdorf, Zagreb (Fianchetto) Variation
21. Firouzja vs N Maiorov  ½-½632016Aeroflot OpenC48 Four Knights
22. Firouzja vs C Aravindh  0-1602016Aeroflot OpenB33 Sicilian
23. Goryachkina vs Firouzja 1-0532016Aeroflot OpenA48 King's Indian
24. Firouzja vs Y Wang 1-0292016Aeroflot OpenC10 French
25. Firouzja vs Dineth Nimnaka Naotunna 1-0662016Asian Nations CupE32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
 page 1 of 60; games 1-25 of 1,494  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Firouzja wins | Firouzja loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 15 OF 19 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-13-21  Whitehat1963: How soon do people think Firouzja will be able to give Carlsen a good stiff challenge for the world title? Or will he simply turn into another Aronian, Grischuk, or Radjabov—full of promise that never quite reaches the pinnacle?
Dec-13-21  nok: As my friend Charlie Durman likes to say, how soon is now?
.
Dec-15-21  Whitehat1963: Because I think Firouzja might be the next world champion, I almost hope he’s not Carlsen’s next challenger. I don’t think he would be ready to dethrone Carlsen by the time FIDE arranges the next title defense. I could be wrong, of course, but I don’t believe Firouzja’s current live rating is an accurate reflection of how he would perform in matches or tournaments leading up to a championship match. We need to see him in many more elite-level classical tournaments between now and Carlsen’s next title defense. Let’s see Firouzja consistently outperform others like Caruana, Ding, Giri, So, Rapport, and Duda before we assume he’s the most deserving just because he’s number two at the moment at only 18 years of age. Sure, that’s a strong indicator of his talent, but like all live ratings, it’s just a snapshot. He has great skill, but it will take much more than talent to beat Carlsen. It also will take strong nerves, incredible poise and patience, courage, and an iron will to win, too.
Dec-17-21  cro777: Carlsen announces that his match against Nepomniachtchi likely was his last, unless Firouzja wins the Candidates!

https://twitter.com/chess24com/stat...

Dec-17-21  TheBirdman33: Alireza to me is truly a "breath of fresh air", even more so than Carlsen back in 2005/6, although comparing is useless, Alireza appears more mature than Carlsen, more evenly tempered, and equally talented as far as knowing where to best place his pieces... Carlsen's endgame feel is probably superior to anyone ever, but the sky is the limit for Firouzja, plus I really like the kid, his attitude, hope he stays that way.
Dec-17-21  fabelhaft: <Alireza to me is truly a "breath of fresh air", even more so than Carlsen back in 2005/6, although comparing is useless, Alireza appears more mature than Carlsen>

Alireza at 18½ is also a few years older than Carlsen was in 2005/6. Carlsen's first Wijk aan Zee title came in 2008, when he was 17 years and 2 months.

Dec-18-21  Albertan: Firouzja misses Wijk after compensation demand denied:

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/fi...

Dec-18-21  TheBirdman33: Good article, little or insufficient communication from papa Firouzja seems to be the stumbling block.
Dec-19-21  Albertan: Firouzja is acting like a star and it’s good for us all:

https://worldchess.com/news/all/fir...

Dec-30-21  ndg2: After a rather disappointing rapid WC tournament and pretty bad runs in the blitz WC during most of the first and second day, Alireza could make up leeway at the end of the second day and vindicate himself with a third place.

Tiebreak rules did not permit him to participate in the playoffs with the other two players with 15 points (Duda, MVL).

Jan-03-22  sicilianchameleon: Tata Steel will be sorely lacking at least one worthy participant this year. They really should've met that compensation demand. Stupid Tata Steel.
Jan-03-22  blueofnoon: I think Nakamura made very good point in his recent YouTube video. https://youtu.be/Deof3xSAQ94

1. Contrary to the common belief, looks like organizers of so-called super tournaments are running on tight budget. The biggest motivation for top GMs to join such tournaments is not money but to play with other top GMs.

2. Right now, like it or not, the only chess player who can attract sponsors outside of the chess community is Magnus Carlsen. The situation will of course change once Firouzja establishes himself as the best player in the world, but for the time being, no sponsor wants to spend extra money on super tournaments because of Firouzja.

While I do understand where Firouzja is coming from, I think he should prioritize gaining valuable experience and further elo points until he becomes the absolute best.

Jan-03-22  TheBirdman33: <blueofnoon>: <Contrary to the common belief, looks like organizers of so-called super tournaments are running on tight budget. [etc.]> Nonsensical imo, here's why:

1. The VIP treatment of "honourable" guests alone would cost ten times the amount that Firouzja would supposedly (who knows, really? Nakamura? - BS) want for having been forced to move while in the middle of a game deciding the outcome, final standing, and prize money

2. I bet the amount of money would not even be an issue for Alireza - he just wants an apology for being treated disrespectfully, with a small compensation

3. If it would be the money that maybe papa Firouzja was after, then that does not make much sense either, since a good Wijk this year will in any case be more profitable financially

4. Companies like Tata and their sponsorship parties and little luxury vacations, dining at the most expensive restaurants have an enormous budget, needless to say

So it is just, "We're bigger than you, you are no Magnus, Ali, so for now we treat you as the newcomer that you are." [[and apologies?? Haha - Compensation ? HAHAHA ]] -- If Firouzja had companies backing him like in Magnus' case, it would be a slight problem, but a Firouzja compensation demand can easily be "swept aside"...

My personal opinion is that this "demand" by Firouzja is not the smart move career-wise, but in terms of keeping his head up high, standing up straight, rightfully so being the proud young man that he is, he did the right thing.

Jan-03-22  blueofnoon: <TheBirdman33> of course everyone is entitled to his / her opinion, but as a fact;

1. Tata Steel organizers already made a public apology to Firouzja. https://www.chess.com/news/view/tat...

2. Nakamura in the video I shared above, said his appearance fee in Tata Steel was 12,500 USD when he was almost number 2 in the world. So that's the money you can expect from Tata Steel.

If Firouzja's demand for Tata's misbehavior was like 1,000 USD, they might have given it a good thought, but I suspect that was not the case.

I am not criticizing Firoujza in any way, he has a freedom to not play in a tournament that made him uncomfortable, in spite of an influence that his decision may make on other tournament organizers.

However, if he thinks he deserves 50,000 USD (I do not know the actual number of course, I am just making up a number here) for the incident he experienced last year, the only way for him seems to be going to a court.

Jan-03-22  blueofnoon: <4. Companies like Tata and their sponsorship parties and little luxury vacations, dining at the most expensive restaurants have an enormous budget, needless to say>

Actually this validates Nakamura's point btw. Firouzja is big in the chess community, but that does not mean someone outside of the community shows respect to him that he or his fans believe he deserves.

Nakamura thinks the only possible exception is Carlsen at the moment, which is not an offense to Firouzja.

Jan-03-22  TheBirdman33: <2. Nakamura in the video I shared above, said his appearance fee in Tata Steel was 12,500 USD when he was almost number 2 in the world. So that's the money you can expect from Tata Steel.> That was about 7 years ago, right?

It's hard for me to believe that Firouzja demanded more than 2,500 Euro, 5,000 tops--- but speculating is useless, the Tata representative seems to have said it was higher than what they had in mind, and papa Firouzja did not return calls for a negotiation of sorts, which is indeed a pity, for ALL involved actually, including AF's development at 18 years of age.

Jan-09-22  Albertan: Player who quit Iran over Israel Boycott wins 2021 ‘Rising Star’ Award:

https://www.iranintl.com/en/2022010...

Jan-12-22  Albertan: A brilliant year:Alireza Firouzja’s rise to the very top:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/alire...

Feb-17-22  Albertan: Firouzja Among ‘´Full’´ Grand Chess Tour Participants But Not Carlsen or Nakamura:

https://www.chess.com/news/view/202...

Apr-14-22  Albertan: The Superbet Chess Classic Romania & Superbeat Rapid & Blitz Poland Wildcards Announced:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-s...

Apr-28-22  cplyakap: His peak is 2804. Not 2728.
May-02-22  Albertan: 2022 Superbet Chess Classic Romania:

https://grandchesstour.org/2022-gra...

This link shows who is playing in this event,as well as the playing schedule.

Jun-18-22  EdwinKorir: Playing the candidates
Jul-07-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <"Let me speak plainly: for now Firouzja still understands chess very poorly. He's insanely talented, calculates well, and so on, but his understanding of the game is so flawed... How can the 2nd or 3rd best player in the world play like that? He simply shouldn't be the no. 2 or no. 3 in the world, it's absolutely not that level."

It’s all the more remarkable, therefore, that Kramnik had been working with Firouzja.>

https://new.chess24.com/wall/news/k...

Jul-07-22  ILikeKeres: This description is wrong.

Firouzja finished first in Norway 2020 and fifth in Norway 2021, not second in Norway 2021 as the blurb claims.

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