Armenia Wins World Chess Team Championship in China

Chess has been one of Armenia’s most popular sports ever since Tigran Petrosian, a Tbilisi-born Armenian, became a world champion in 1963. The country currently boasts one of the largest per-capita numbers of chess grandmasters in the world.

Two of its three post-Soviet presidents are keen chess players who have promoted the game while in office. The current president, Serge Sargisian, heads the Armenian Chess Federation. He personally supported the national team during its Olympic triumphs.

Earlier this year, Sargisian’s government decided to make chess a mandatory subject in primary schools.

The Armenian National Congress, an opposition grouping led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, was quick to welcome the “brilliant” victory in Ningbo. “Thanks to this feat by our chess players, Armenia has entered the chess Olympus for good,” it declared in a special statement.

“This is a great result,” agreed Vanik Zakarian, the honorary chairman of the Armenian Chess Federation. “Our team has been considered a major contender in all chess competitions held in recent years.”

Zakarian said the championship victory is no less significant than the Olympic titles. “What makes chess Olympiads different is that all teams compete in them, whereas only the selected best teams take part in world championships,” he said.