GM Haik Martirosyan (Armenia) emerged as the winner of the 19th Agzamov Memorial, edging out GM Artem Uskov (FIDE) on tiebreaks. Only 0.5 Buchholz points separated the champion from the runner-up.
The 19th Agzamov Memorial, dedicated to the memory of Uzbekistan’s first Grandmaster, took place in Tashkent from March 17–26. The event boasting a total prize fund of USD 80,000 featured two 10-round Swiss tournaments – Open A and Open B – which together attracted nearly 330 participants, including 20 Grandmasters.
Open A was a fiercely contested event, with the winner decided only in the final round. Artem Uskov, who turned 16 during the event, took the sole lead in Round 5 with 4.5/5, but in the following round top seed Martirosyan caught up with him. In Round 7, local favorite GM Abdimalik Abdisalimov joined the duo for a three-way tie at the top. In Round 8, Martirosyan scored a crucial victory over Abdisalimov and surged ahead as Uskov drew with IM Bakhrom Bakhrillaev of Uzbekistan.
Going into the final round with a half-point lead over four rivals at 6.5/9, Martirosyan managed only a draw against Nikita Afanasiev (FIDE). Meanwhile, Uskov defeated second-seed GM Abhimanyu Puranik with the black pieces to tie for first place. Still, the title went to Martirosyan due to a hair-thin tiebreak advantage. Both players completed the tournament unbeaten.
As many as six players finished a half point behind, sharing third place, with Abdisalimov completing the podium.
Sultai Chyngyz (Kyrgyztan) and Umar Isomov (Uzbekistan) tied for the first place in the Open B both scoring an impressive 8.5/10 with Chyngyz coming out on top thanks to superior Buchholz.
Photos: Uzbekistan Chess Federation