3/29/2025 – The Agzamov Memorial took place from 21 to 29 March in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, attracting a strong field of international players in Group A. Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin claimed outright victory with an unbeaten 8/10 score, finishing ahead of a competitive field that included eight 2600+ rated players. Among the standout performances was 15-year-old Uzbek IM Khumoyun Begmuratov, who secured ninth place with a solid 7/10. | Photo: Uzbekistan Chess Federation
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A formidable performance by the top seed
The Agzamov Memorial took place from 21 to 29 March in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The event featured two concurrent tournaments, both structured as 10-round Swiss opens. The time control was 90 minutes for the entire game, with an additional 30-second increment per move. Group B was restricted to players with an Elo rating below 2000, while Group A attracted high-level competition, including eight players rated above 2600.
The top three contenders in Group A were Nihal Sarin (India), Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan), and Aleksandar Indjic (Serbia). The tournament saw a strong presence of players from India (38 participants) and Kazakhstan (19 participants), in addition to numerous local competitors. Notably, the event did not feature any double-round days, which is somewhat unusual in events of this nature. However, no rest days were allocated either.
Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.
Nihal Sarin emerged as the outright winner, finishing with an undefeated score of 8/10. A group of four players finished just half a point behind him, securing second to fifth places based on tiebreak criteria in the following order: Sanan Sjugirov (Hungary), Abhimanyu Puranik (India), Bardiya Daneshvar (Iran) and Shamisiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan).
The pre-tournament favourites performed well, as eight of the top ten spots in the final standings were occupied by players who were initially ranked in the top ten.
One of the most notable performances came from 15-year-old Uzbek IM Khumoyun Begmuratov, who secured ninth place with an undefeated 7/10 score, exceeding expectations.
This marks the second notable success for Nihal Sarin in Uzbekistan within a short period. In December last year, he also achieved an outright victory in the President Cup, held in Tashkent, with a score of 8½/10. While the competition at the Agzamov Memorial was slightly less formidable, Nihal's performance, which included six wins and four draws, earned him valuable rating points. He is now only 5.9 points away from the 2700-rating threshold.
The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.
Carlos Alberto ColodroCarlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players.
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