Martirosyan edges 16-year-old Uskov to take Agzamov Memorial title

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
3/27/2026 – Haik Martirosyan won the 19th Agzamov Memorial in Tashkent on tiebreak after finishing level on 7½/9 with 16-year-old Artem Uskov. The two co-leaders drew their direct encounter in round seven, before Martirosyan moved ahead with a win in round eight. Uskov's final-round victory over Abhimanyu Puranik allowed him to catch the Armenian GM, but not to overtake him on tiebreak. A group of six players finished half a point behind in a closely contested event. | Photo: FIDE / Anastasiia Korolkova
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Martirosyan and Uskov finish level on 7½/10

The 19th Tashkent Open, held in memory of Uzbekistan's first grandmaster, Georgy Tadzhikhanovich Agzamov, concluded on 26 March after ten rounds of classical play in the Uzbek capital. The annual tournament, established in 2007, featured a 101-player Open A field, including 16 participants rated 2500 or above.

Top seed Haik M. Martirosyan (Armenia) won the tournament on tiebreak after finishing level on 7½/10 with 14th seed Artem Uskov (FIDE), aged 16. Martirosyan secured first place on Buchholz Cut 1, while Uskov took second. A group of six players followed on 7 points, with Abdimalik Abdisalimov (Uzbekistan) claiming third place on tiebreaks. Eldiyar Orozbaev (Kyrgystan), seeded 50th, finished fourth after a strong performance that included a gain of 37.3 rating points.

After six rounds, Martirosyan and Uskov shared the lead on 5/6. Their direct encounter in round seven ended in a 39-move draw, in which Uskov was unable to convert a late middlegame advantage. The result allowed Abdimalik Abdisalimov and Bakhrom Bakrillaev to join the leaders on 5½/7.

Round eight proved decisive in shaping the standings. Martirosyan defeated Abdisalimov with the white pieces to move into sole first place, while Uskov and Bakrillaev drew their game. In round nine, draws on the top boards meant that Martirosyan retained a narrow lead going into the final round, standing half a point ahead of Uskov, Abdisalimov, Nikita Afanasiev and Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov.

In the final round, Martirosyan drew with Afanasiev in 45 moves, leaving his final score at 7½ points. Uskov, meanwhile, defeated second seed Abhimanyu Puranik with black (see game with annotations below) to catch the Armenian at the top of the standings. Despite finishing level on points, Martirosyan's superior tiebreak ensured overall victory.

Agzamov Memorial, Chess

Chess action in Tashkent - later this year, the Olympiad will take place in Samarkand, the third-largest city in Uzbekistan | Photo: Uzbekistan Chess Federation

Puranik 0-1 Uskov

Final standings

Rk. Name Pts. TB1
1 Martirosyan, Haik M. 7,5 58,5
2 Uskov, Artem 7,5 57,5
3 Abdisalimov, Abdimalik 7 59
4 Orozbaev, Eldiyar 7 58,5
5 Afanasiev, Nikita 7 58
6 Suyarov, Mukhamm 7 56,5
7 Narayanan, S L 7 56
8 Jacobson, Brandon 7 54
9 Nigmatov, Ortik 6,5 56
10 Bernadskiy, Vitaliy 6,5 56
11 Tillyaev, Ulugbek 6,5 55,5
12 Bakhrillaev, Bakhrom 6,5 55,5
13 Rostovtsev, Dmitry 6,5 54,5
14 Begmuratov, Khumoyun 6,5 54
15 Sethuraman, S.P. 6,5 53,5
16 Pranav, Anand 6,5 52
17 Umarov, Bekhruz 6,5 52
18 Bardyk, Artem 6,5 51,5
19 Jumabayev, Rinat 6,5 49,5
20 Tekeyev, Zaur 6,5 49
21 Puranik, Abhimanyu 6 57
22 Shogdzhiev, Roman 6 52,5
23 Utegaliyev, Azamat 6 51
24 Nurman, Alua 6 51
25 Nikitenko, Mihail 6 50,5

...101 players

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Topics: Agzamov Memorial, Artem Uskov, Haik Martirosyan
Carlos 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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Agzamov Memorial: Martirosyan and Uskov share lead on 5/6

3/23/2026 – Two players share the lead after six rounds at the Agzamov Memorial in Tashkent, with top seed Haik Martirosyan (pictured) and 14th seed Artem Uskov both on 5/6. Martirosyan has impressed with a series of wins with the white pieces, while Uskov produced a notable upset against Pouya Idani and now faces the Armenian in a key round-seven encounter. A closely packed chasing group remains within striking distance with three rounds still to play. | Photo: Uzbek Chess Federation

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3/18/2026 – The 19th Agzamov Memorial is under way in Tashkent, attracting over 300 players across two rating sections. Strong grandmasters such as Haik Martirosyan, Pouya Idani and S.L. Narayanan have begun with perfect scores, but early rounds have also produced notable upsets, with lower-seeded players joining the lead group. Held in honour of Uzbekistan's first grandmaster, the tournament continues a long-standing tradition. | Pictured: Ukrainian GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy | Photo: Uzbek Chess Federation
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