Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is an Azerbaijani grandmaster, born in 1985. He grew up in Sumqayit, where his father introduced him to chess, and his two sisters, Zeinab and Turkan, are both Woman Grandmasters. He was awarded the grandmaster title in 2002 and won the World Junior Championship in 2003 and 2005. His peak rating of 2820 in September 2018 is among the highest in history.

Mamedyarov won the World Rapid Championship in 2013 and the overall FIDE Grand Prix in 2017. He finished second at the 2018 Candidates Tournament and won the Biel Chess Festival that year. He also won the Gashimov Memorial in 2016 and 2017, and European Team Championship gold with Azerbaijan in 2009, 2013 and 2017.