India’s Nihal Sarin has clinched the 2025 Tashkent Open Agzamov Memorial title in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster secured the title with an unbeaten score of 8 out of 10, outperforming a strong field that included eight players rated above 2600.
With this victory, Nihal gained 7.1 Elo rating points, bringing his live rating to 2694, just a step away from the coveted 2700 mark.
Nihal scored 8 out of possible 10 points in the tournament to finish half-a-point ahead of the second placed GM Snan Sjugirov, India’s GM Abhimanyu Puranik, GM Bardiya Daneshvar, and GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov, who all scored 7.5 points.
Nihal, who had defeated GM Jing Yao Tin in the penultimate round to take the solo lead in the competition, needed just a draw in the final round to secure the title.
The Indian held to a solid draw against Vokhidov with the black pieces to ensure that he walks home $20,000 richer. Nihal finished the tournament unbeaten, recording six wins and four draws in the ten rounds.