The 5th International Chess Tournament, dedicated to the memory of Georgy Agzamov, the first grandmaster of Uzbekistan, is scheduled to take place from 17th to 27th March in Tashkent. The playing venue will be in the Central House of Officers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Tournament is organized with the objectives of popularization and development of chess in Uzbekistan, preservation and multiplication of cultural and sports traditions. It is carried out by the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

The Tournament is a 9-round Swiss, with the total prize fund of 20 000 US dollars. 1st place is 5 000 USD worth.

After the Agzamov Memorial, the reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand will play a four-game rapid match against the 17th World Champion, and currently his second, Rustam Kasimdzhanov. The match will take place on 27th March in the same playing venue.

Top seeded players: Alekseev Evgeny (Russia) 2701, Miroshnichenko Evgenij (Ukraine) 2670, Roiz Michael (Israel) 2649, Mchedlishvili Mikheil (Georgia) 2641, Turov Maxim (Russia) 2631, Kuzubov Yuriy (Ukraine) 2624, Filippov Anton (Uzbekistan) 2604, Petrosyan Tigran L. (Armenia) 2604, Jumabayev Rinat (Kazakhstan) 2555 and Susanto Megaranto (Indonesia) 2533.