In Tashkent started the first round of the 1st Central Asia Cup for prize fund of the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

Delegations from the Central Asia countries - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – arrived to take part in this event. It is 53 chess players with 7 Grandmasters and 16 International masters and FIDE masters among them. And one of the participants is the 17th World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

The Championship is played in Swiss system with 9 rounds and total prize fund of $25 000 US.

The Chief Arbiter of the 1st Central Asia Cup is Zone 3.4 President IA Turdialiev Husan.