Uzbekistan On The Rise?

[Tim Spanton]

From the Fide site:

On January 14, 2021, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued a decree "On measures for the further development and popularization of chess and improving the system of training chess players.”

Under the Decree, the project "Chess in school" will be implemented through the expansion of the chess education system in elementary school, as well as holding competitions among students and schools, promoting chess among kids and teenagers, and many other important measures.

The state program for the development of chess until 2025 has been adopted. The program set several ambitious goals such as:

- Increasing the number of permanently studying chess to 3 percent by the year 2025;

- Bringing the number of districts (cities) in which special attention is paid to the development of chess as a priority sport up to 40;

- Establishing 25 new chess schools and clubs based on public-private partnership within the next five years;

- Increasing the number of active chess schools for children by 20% with the target of 10,500 children involved in chess;

- Uzbekistan’s entering the top-10 rated countries by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) by the year 2025.

In addition, several annual chess competitions and events are established starting from the year 2021:

International Chess Tournament for the Prize of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Tashkent)
Agzamov (the first Grandmaster from Uzbekistan) Memorial Tournament (Tashkent)
International Tournament of the XVII World Chess Champion R.M. Kasymzhanov (Tashkent)
Sakhibkiran Cup Chess Tournament (Samarkand)
Al-Beruni Chess Tournament (Khiva)
The Week of Tourism and Chess (Bukhara, Termez, and Khiva)

[John McKenna]

"In addition, several annual chess competitions and events are established starting from the year 2021:

International Chess Tournament for the Prize of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Tashkent)

Agzamov (the first Grandmaster from Uzbekistan) Memorial Tournament (Tashkent)..." (See above for full list)

The Agzamov Memorial has been an established fixture.

Remember this one, below?

8th Agzamov Memorial, Tashkent Open 2014 - nine-year-old FM Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan took down a 2600 GM. This was no fluke or a flippant move by the opponent turning into a major blunder. This was a gritty, square-by-square grind-down in which the youthful master prevailed...

https://en.chessbase.com/post/nine-year ... hrough-gms

The young FM was 60th in the start list and came 30th with 5/9.

Also on the same score was the brother of GM Agzamov(deceased) Viacheslav Agzamov (rated about 2200 at the time and a medical doctor by profession, I believe, but don't quote me on that yet.)

GM Abhijeet Gupta was the outright winner on 7.5/9.

I've heard of at least one intrepid English player who has played chess in Uzbekistan.

I'm sure Tim S will let us know should he get to go.

Edit - 1st Agzamov Memorial 2007 -

https://en.chessbase.com/post/in-memori ... gy-agzamov

[Simon Rogers]

"In addition, several annual chess competitions and events are established starting from the year 2021:

International Chess Tournament for the Prize of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Tashkent)

Agzamov (the first Grandmaster from Uzbekistan) Memorial Tournament (Tashkent)..." (See above for full list)

The Agzamov Memorial has been an established fixture.

Remember this one, below?

8th Agzamov Memorial, Tashkent Open 2014 - nine-year-old FM Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan took down a 2600 GM. This was no fluke or a flippant move by the opponent turning into a major blunder. This was a gritty, square-by-square grind-down in which the youthful master prevailed...

https://en.chessbase.com/post/nine-year ... hrough-gms

The young FM was 60th in the start list and came 30th with 5/9.

Also on the same score was the brother of GM Agzamov(deceased) Viacheslav Agzamov (rated about 2200 at the time and a medical doctor by profession, I believe, but don't quote me on that yet.)

GM Abhijeet Gupta was the outright winner on 7.5/9.

I've heard of at least one intrepid English player who has played chess in Uzbekistan.

I'm sure Tim S will let us know should he get to go.

At least that's one link to England, however tenuous.
I miss Tim's updates on the Czech Tour.

[Paul Robert Jackson]

"I miss Tim's updates on the Czech Tour"
A link for you Simon R.
www.czechtour.net/news

[Kevin Thurlow]

I saw FM Nodirbek Abdusattorov in action in Reykjavik a coupe of years ago (and Nihal Sarin.) They both seemed very promising players.

[John McKenna]

I saw FM Nodirbek Abdusattorov in action in Reykjavik a coupe of years ago (and Nihal Sarin.) They both seemed very promising players.

That masterly understatement deserved an emoticon, Kevin.

Nodirbek is now 17 years young and a GM with a 2600+ rating!

Nihal Sarin something similar I suppose.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"That masterly understatement deserved an emoticon, Kevin."

One of them demolished Nigel Povah in short order, so those of us who have grovelled to +0=2-4 against the great man (and felt grateful for the =2) were impressed.

[Michael Yeo]

"
I've heard of at least one intrepid English player who has played chess in Uzbekistan.

I doubt that you meant me, but I did play in the 7th Agzamov Memorial in 2013.

Having accepted a draw in a winning position in the penultimate round I needed to win this
final round game to have a share in the substantial veterans prize (over 60).
Amusingly there was such disbelief in my eligibility for this prize that 3
different sets of organisers insisted on seeing my passport in order to check
my date of birth.

[Event "Toshkent"]
[Site "Toshkent"]
[Date "2013.04.22"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kabilov, Amin"]
[Black "Yeo, Michael J"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[BlackElo "2155"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventCountry "UZB"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O a6 6. Bb3 Ba7 7. c3 d6 8. h3 h6
9. Nbd2 g5 10. g4 h5 11. Nxg5 hxg4 12. Bxf7+ Ke7 13. Nc4 Rxh3 14. Kg2 Qh8 15.
Rh1 Rxh1 16. Qxh1 Qxh1+ 17. Kxh1 Bxf2 18. Kg2 Bh4 19. Bd5 Bd7 20. Be3 Rh8 21.
Rh1 Rh5 22. Bf7 Rxg5 23. Rxh4 Rg7 24. Bd5 Nd8 25. Bh6 Rg6 26. Nd2 Be6 27. Bb3
Bxb3 28. Nxb3 Ne6 29. Kg3 b6 30. Nc1 Ng5 31. Ne2 Ne6 32. b4 Ng7 33. Bxg7 Rxg7
34. Rh6 Kf7 35. Kh4 d5 36. exd5 Nxd5 37. Rc6 Kg8 38. Ng3 Ne3 39. Re6 Ng2+ 40.
Kh5 Nf4+ 0-1
thereby winning $333 which just about paid the hotel bill

[John McKenna]

"
I've heard of at least one intrepid English player who has played chess in Uzbekistan.

I doubt that you meant me, but I did play in the 7th Agzamov Memorial in 2013.

I had the name Yeo in the back of my mind, but could only recall Gareth Harley-Yeo. Apologies for that.

Having accepted a draw in a winning position in the penultimate round I needed to win this
final round game to have a share in the substantial veterans prize (over 60).
Amusingly there was such disbelief in my eligibility for this prize that 3
different sets of organisers insisted on seeing my passport in order to check
my date of birth.

[Event "Toshkent"] [Site "Toshkent"] [Date "2013.04.22"] [Round "9"] [White "Kabilov, Amin"] [Black "Yeo, Michael J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [BlackElo "2155"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventCountry "UZB"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O a6 6. Bb3 Ba7 7. c3 d6 8. h3 h6 9. Nbd2 g5 10. g4 h5 11. Nxg5 hxg4 12. Bxf7+ Ke7 13. Nc4 Rxh3 14. Kg2 Qh8 15. Rh1 Rxh1 16. Qxh1 Qxh1+ 17. Kxh1 Bxf2 18. Kg2 Bh4 19. Bd5 Bd7 20. Be3 Rh8 21. Rh1 Rh5 22. Bf7 Rxg5 23. Rxh4 Rg7 24. Bd5 Nd8 25. Bh6 Rg6 26. Nd2 Be6 27. Bb3 Bxb3 28. Nxb3 Ne6 29. Kg3 b6 30. Nc1 Ng5 31. Ne2 Ne6 32. b4 Ng7 33. Bxg7 Rxg7 34. Rh6 Kf7 35. Kh4 d5 36. exd5 Nxd5 37. Rc6 Kg8 38. Ng3 Ne3 39. Re6 Ng2+ 40. Kh5 Nf4+ 0-1

thereby winning $333 which just about paid the hotel bill

Thanks for sharing, Michael.