Iranian chess grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo has featured great mental skills at the Master Open Alekhine Memorial 2018 in Russia, and finished as the vice champion of the international tournament.
The 17-year-old Iranian sportsman came second with the overall score of 6.5 points in the Chess960 section of the event.
Russian chess player Vladimir Blus stood on top of the podium. Alexander Trapishko, also from Russia, finished in the third place.
Chess960, also called Fischer Random Chess (originally Fischerandom), is a variant of chess invented and advocated by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer, announced publicly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 19, 1996.
It employs the same board and pieces as standard chess, but the starting position of the pieces on the players' home ranks is randomized.
The random setup renders the prospect of obtaining an advantage through the memorization of opening lines impracticable, compelling players to rely instead on their talent and creativity.
The Master Open Alekhine Memorial 2018 kicked off in the Russian city of Voronezh on June 10, and will finish on June 12, 2018.