Prominent chess player, the IXth world champion Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian passed twenty years ago (1929-1984). They decided to celebrate his jubilee like the chess players always do. Two teams met in a Scheveningen tournament in a Moscow hotel Ararat Park Hyatt. Petrosian Memorial was scheduled for six rounds; another name was also added to the event - the Match Armenia - the World. The 'Petrosian' team featured Gary Kasparov (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Boris Gelfand (Israel) and the three strongest Armenian players, Vladimir Akopian, Raphael Vaganian and Smbat Lputian. Gary Kasparov mentioned for many times that he owed to conversations with Petrosian, Boris Gelfand studied chess in Petrosian's school in his young years and Peter Leko is a pupil and the son-in-law to another prominent Armenian grandmaster with the same name - Arshak Petrosian.
The World team was not weaker including Vishwanathan Anand (India), Peter Svidler (Russia), Michael Adams (England), Etienne Bacrot (France), Francisco Vallejo (Spain) and Loek van Wely (Netherlands). In average, the World team was much younger than their opponents.
The time control was 1 hour 40 minutes per 40 moves, next 50 minutes per 20 moves and then 15 minutes guillotine with 30 seconds increment per each move.
The event was sponsored by the Cigar Clan magazine and Hyatt hotel.