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The House of Chess in Yerevan, founded in 1970[1]
Two men playing chess in Yerevan Vernissage
Children playing at an outdoor chess set in Charles Aznavour Square of Yerevan

Chess has been played in Armenia since the early Middle Ages; however, it was institutionalized during the early Soviet period.[2] Highly popular in Armenia today,[3][4][5] chess gained widespread recognition during the 1960s, when Soviet Armenian grandmaster Tigran Petrosian became the World Chess Champion.[2][6] A country of about three million people, Armenia is considered one of the strongest chess nations today,[7][8] and a chess superpower.[9][10] Among countries, Armenia has one of the most chess grandmasters per capita.[11]

Since the country's independence, the Armenian men's chess team has won the European Team Championship (1999), the World Team Championship (2011) and the Chess Olympiad (2006, 2008, 2012). The women's team had its crowning victory at the 2003 European Championship. As of August 2021, Armenia ranks seventh in the world by the average rating of its top players.[12] Levon Aronian, formerly Armenia's best chess player, has placed as high as world No. 2 in the FIDE rankings, and has been a World Champion candidate on six occasions.

Since the 2011–12 school year, chess lessons have been made part of the curriculum in every public school in Armenia, making it the first country in the world to make chess mandatory in schools.[13][14]

Name

[edit]

Until the early 20th century, chess was known in Armenian as čatrak (ճատրակ), from Middle Persian chatrang.[15][16] Another name was ճատրկուց, čatrkuts.[16] Today, that term—pronounced jadrag[17]—is only used in Western Armenian, which is spoken in the Armenian diaspora.[18] In modern Eastern Armenian, the variation used in Armenia, chess is known as šaxmat շախմատ ([ʃɑχmɑt]). It is derived from Russian šáxmaty (шахматы), itself a derivative from Persian šâh mât (شاه مات), literally meaning "the king is at a loss" or "the king is helpless."[19] The latter Persian phrase is also the etymology of the English checkmate.[20]

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

In their 1936 book on the history of chess, historians Joseph Orbeli and Kamilla Trever suggest that chess was known in Armenia since at least the 9th century during the Arab rule. According to them, the game was brought to Armenia by the Arabs from India,[21] where the game is believed to have been originated in the sixth century as Chaturanga.[22] In 1967 chess pieces were excavated by archaeologists in the citadel of Dvin, the medieval Armenian capital.[23] Chess is mentioned in manuscripts from the 12th–13th centuries, kept in the Matenadaran in Yerevan, including by Vardan Areveltsi and Mkhitar Anetsi.[24][16] Until the mid-20th century villagers in Shenavan, in the Aparan area, used homemade chess figures similar to medieval ones.[21][25]

A 1930 Armenian translation of Emanuel Lasker's books on chess by Simon Hovyan.[26]

Soviet period

[edit]

Chess in Armenia was institutionalized after the establishment of Soviet rule in 1920.[27] In 1926-27, chemist Simon Hovyan (1869-1942) spearheaded an initiative to introduce sections dedicated to chess in numerous Armenian newspapers. He played a crucial role in the widespread popularization of the game by providing lectures on the rules and strategy of chess, as well as translating books by Emanuel Lasker, Ilya Maizelis (ru), and Yakov Rokhlin (ru) into Armenian.[27]

Tigran Petrosian, World Chess Champion in 1963–69

The first chess competitions were held in 1927, when the Armenian Chess Federation was founded.[28] Until 1934 chess players from Armenia competed in the Transcaucasian championship. In 1934 the first Armenian Chess Championship was held in Yerevan.[16] Genrikh Kasparyan became its winner. In later years Kasparyan won the championship nine times and became the most-titled Armenian chess player with ten national championship wins. The women's championship was also held the same year, Sirush Makints and Margarita Mirza-Avagian shared the champion title.[29][16] The first Armenian chess club was founded in Yerevan in 1936.[16] Chess clubs were also founded in Leninakan (now Gyumri) and Kirovakan (now Vanadzor) in the 1950s.[27] By the early 1980s all towns and districts (rayons) of Soviet Armenia had chess clubs.[16]

Chess became particularly popular with the unprecedented success of Tigran Petrosian in the 1960s. Born in Tiflis, the current capital of Armenia's neighbor Georgia, he started his ascent in Armenia with a 1946 victory at the national championship. He then won the Soviet champion title four times (1959, 1961, 1969, 1975). In 1963 Petrosian became the World Chess Champion, defeating Mikhail Botvinnik, another Soviet representative. Petrosian's victory not only popularized the game of chess, but also "led to an outpouring of patriotic fervour" in the smallest Soviet republic. "From that moment on, chess became a national obsession."[30] Many couples named their sons Tigran, after Petrosian.[30] Besides being World Champion for six years (1963 to 1969), Petrosian won the Chess Olympiad nine times with the Soviet team (1958 to 1974).[31]

The USSR Chess Championship was held in Yerevan twice, in 1962 and 1975.[32]

In 1962, there were 30,000 chess players in Soviet Armenia, as well as 3,000 instructors and judges. By 1986 the number of chess players had increased to 50,000, including three grandmasters: Rafael Vaganian, Smbat Lputian, and Arshak Petrosian.[27] In the late Soviet period, Rafael Vaganian (1989)[33] and Artashes Minasian (1991)[34] became Soviet Champions. Vaganian also won the Olympiad with the Soviet team twice in 1984 and 1986.[35]

Independent Armenia

[edit]

Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, Armenian chess players have had the opportunity to represent the Republic of Armenia. Three major chess tournaments have taken place in independent Armenia: the 32nd Chess Olympiad was held at the Sports & Music Complex in Yerevan in 1996;[36] the 2001 World Team Chess Championship and the 2014 European Individual Chess Championship were held at the Yerevan Opera Theater.[37][38]

Levon Aronian and Serzh Sargsyan
A billboard in central Yerevan celebrating Armenia's victory at the 38th Chess Olympiad. It shows members of the Armenian team with the caption "The Kings of Chess".

Armenia earned its first medal at the 1992 Chess Olympiad, finishing third.[39] Armenia won bronze medals at the 2002 and 2004 Olympiads as well.[40][41] The Armenian team made a breakthrough with the sensational victory at the 2006 Chess Olympiad.[42] They also won the 2008[43] and 2012 Chess Olympiads.[44] Their record at the World Team Championships has been similarly outstanding, finishing third in 1997,[45] 2001,[46] and 2005,[47] and winning in 2011.[48] At the European championships the team performed somewhat more poorly, placing third in 1997,[49] first in 1999, and second in 2007.[50]

Chess in schools

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In 2011, the Ministry of Education of Armenia made chess part of the primary school curriculum along with such standards as math and history for children over the age of 6.[51][52] Chess is compulsory for second, third and fourth graders.[14] Over $1.5 million was spent on the program. The inclusion of chess in schools was generally received positively by the public, but some parents claimed that their children's school program was already complicated and overloaded.[53] Grandmaster Smbat Lputian argued that "bringing chess into schools is the best way to build the future."[54] Grandmaster Rafael Vaganian criticized the program as "farce."[55]

The decision was widely reported in the international media. Journalists, chess experts and officials in various countries praised the program and advised its adoption in their respective countries.[56][57] During his visit to Armenia in 2014 Magnus Carlsen stated: "I think Armenia's experience of teaching chess in schools is a great example for the whole world."[58] As of 2020, chess is taught in grades 2 to 4 with two classes a week.[59]

Chess players in Armenia
Year Number
2005[60]
1,846
2010[61]
2,893
2021[62]
4,969

Recent developments

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On December 12, 2019 the United Nations (UN) designated 20 July as World Chess Day as proposed by the Armenian delegation. It marks the date in 1924 when the International Chess Federation was established.[63]

As of 2021, Armenia's statistics agency recorded 4,969 chess players (including 1,318 females), up from 1,846 (375 females) in 2005 and 184 coaches (including 36 females) up from 87 (17 females) in 2005.[60][62]

In August 2022, when he met with the men's team that won a silver medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Armenia should aim to win the World Chess Championship by 2050. His government has listed it as a strategic goal for Armenia.[64]

At the FIDE 100 Awards in September 2024 Armenia was honored as the "Best Male Team" by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).[65]

Armenian diaspora

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GM Rafael Vaganian, who resides in Germany, performing a simultaneous exhibition in Yerevan in 2013.

A number of ethnic Armenian chess players have achieved success outside of Armenia. Most notably, in 1985, Garry Kasparov, born in Baku, Soviet Azerbaijan to an Armenian mother and Russian Jewish father,[66] became World Champion. Although he never represented Armenia and is only half-Armenian, some sources preferred to call him Armenian,[67] partly because his last name is the Russified form of his mother's Armenian last name Kasparyan.[67]

Other notable Armenian diaspora chess players include[68] Sergei Movsesian (Czech Republic, Slovakia), Yury Dokhoian[69] and David Paravyan (Russia), Levon Ashotovich Grigorian (Uzbekistan), Tatev Abrahamyan, Samuel Sevian, Varuzhan Akobian, Melikset Khachiyan and Levon Aronian (United States), Dina Kagramanov and Natalia Khoudgarian (Canada), José Bademian Orchanian (Uruguay), Krikor Mekhitarian (Brazil), Knarik Mouradian (Lebanon).

Institutions

[edit]

The national governing body for chess, the Armenian Chess Federation, was founded in 1927.[28] Serzh Sargsyan, then Defense Minister, was elected its president in 2004 and was reelected in 2011.[70] Sargsyan "is known for enthusiastically supporting Armenian chess players."[56] On one occasion, Sargsyan stated that "We don't want people to know Armenia just for the earthquake and the genocide. We would rather it was famous for its chess."[30] The Armenian government provides grandmasters with salaries and perks.[6][14]

The Chess Academy of Armenia (Հայաստանի շախմատի ակադեմիա) is a leading education institutions of chess in Armenia. It was founded in 2002 by the initiative of Grandmaster Smbat Lputian and supported by then-Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. The academy has also organized international and national chess tournaments.[71]

National championship

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Main article: Armenian Chess Championship

The first Armenian championship occurred in 1934 when it was part of the Transcaucasian SFSR. Championships were held sporadically in the Armenian SSR until 1945, when they became an annual event; this practice has been continued in independent Armenia. Genrikh Kasparyan has won it the most times (10 times), followed by Ashot Anastasian (8 times), Levon Grigorian (6 times) and Artashes Minasian (6 times).[72]

The first woman's championship also took place in 1934, but was not held again till 1939. Some of the most notable women champions include Elina Danielian (6 times), Lilit Mkrtchian (4 times) and Siranush Andriasian (3 times).[29]

Media

[edit]
The logo of Chess in Armenia magazine

In 1972, the magazine Chess in Armenia (Շախմատային Հայաստան Shakhmatayin Hayastan) was founded by Gaguik Oganessian. It was published monthly until 1997, when it became a weekly magazine.[73] In 1972, the TV show Chess-64 (originally named Chess School) started to be aired by the Public Television of Armenia. Hosted by Gaguik Oganessian, it is the "longest lived program series" in the channel's history.[74] Another more recently created show, Chess World, is aired after the First News.[75]

Individual statistics

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FIDE, the World Chess Federation, lists 24 active Armenian grandmasters, 4 woman grandmasters, 17 international masters and 4 woman international masters.[76]

Men

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The Top 10 Armenian grandmasters as of October 2024 are listed below.[77]

See also: List of Armenian chess players
#3 player in Armenia
Gabriel Sargissian (#93)
# Player Birth year GM Title Rating World rank[a]
1 Haik M. Martirosyan 2000 2017 2676 51
2 Shant Sargsyan 2002 2019 2655 70
3 Gabriel Sargissian 1983 2002 2640 93
4 Hrant Melkumyan 1989 2008 2636 106
5 Manuel Petrosyan 1998 2017 2631 111
6 Aram Hakobyan 2001 2018 2617 135
7 Sergei Movsesian 1978 1997 2616 137
8 Robert Hovhannisyan 1991 2010 2612 144
9 Samvel Ter-Sahakyan 1993 2009 2609 148
10 Karen H. Grigoryan 1995 2013 2582 220

Women

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The Top 10 women Armenian chess players are listed below as of October 2024.[78]

#1 Armenian women player
Elina Danielian (#60)
# Player Birth year Title Rating World rank[b]
1 Elina Danielian 1978 GM 2391 60
2 Lilit Mkrtchian 1982 IM 2388 62
3 Anna M. Sargsyan 2001 IM 2378 69
4 Mariam Mkrtchyan 2004 WIM 2325
5 Maria Gevorgyan 1994 WGM 2225 -
6 Susanna Gaboyan 2001 WIM 2181 -
7 Anna Khachatryan 2002 WFM 2079 -
8 Mariam Avetisyan 2000 WFM 2055 -
7 Polina Kobak 2008 WFM 2041 -
10 Ani Avetisyan 2009 - 2010 -

Team records

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Chess Olympiads

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See also: Chess Olympiad
Open (Men's)
Year Event Location Players Position Ref
1992 30th Chess Olympiad Philippines Manila, Philippines Vaganian, Akopian, Lputian, Minasian, A. Petrosian, Anastasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [39]
1994 31st Chess Olympiad Russia Moscow, Russia Vaganian, Akopian, Lputian, Anastasian, Minasian, Yegiazarian 13 [79]
1996 32nd Chess Olympiad Armenia Yerevan, Armenia Akopian, Vaganian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian, A. Petrosian 5 [80]
1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Russia Elista, Russia Vaganian, Lputian, Akopian, Minasian, Asrian, Anastasian 16 [81]
2000 34th Chess Olympiad Turkey Istanbul, Turkey Vaganian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian, Asrian, Sargissian 17 [82]
2002 35th Chess Olympiad Slovenia Bled, Slovenia Akopian, Lputian, Asrian, Sargissian, Minasian, Anastasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [40]
2004 36th Chess Olympiad Spain Calviá, Spain Akopian, Aronian, Vaganian, Lputian, Sargissian, Minasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [41]
2006 37th Chess Olympiad Italy Turin, Italy Aronian, Akopian, Asrian, Lputian, Sargissian, Minasian 1st place, gold medalist(s) [42]
2008 38th Chess Olympiad Germany Dresden, Germany Aronian, Akopian, Sargissian, T. Petrosian, Minasian 1st place, gold medalist(s) [43]
2010 39th Chess Olympiad Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Aronian, Akopian, Sargissian, Pashikian, Grigoryan 7 [83]
2012 40th Chess Olympiad Turkey Istanbul, Turkey Aronian, Movsesian, Akopian, Sargissian, T. Petrosian 1st place, gold medalist(s) [44]
2014 41st Chess Olympiad Norway Tromsø, Norway Aronian, Sargissian, Movsesian, Akopian, Kotanjian 8 [84]
2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Azerbaijan Baku, Azerbaijan did not participate — —
2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Georgia (country) Batumi, Georgia Aronian, Sargissian, Melkumyan, Hovhannisyan, Martirosyan 8 [85]
2022 44th Chess Olympiad India Chennai, India Sargissian, Melkumyan, Ter-Sahakyan, Petrosyan, R. Hovhannisyan 2nd place, silver medalist(s) [86]
Women's
Year Event Location Players Position Ref
1992 30th Chess Olympiad Philippines Manila, Philippines Aslanian, Khalafian, Danielian, Karakashian 33 [87]
1994 31st Chess Olympiad Russia Moscow, Russia Danielian, Aslanian, Grigorian, Airapetian 24 [88]
1996 32nd Chess Olympiad Armenia Yerevan, Armenia Danielian, Hlgatian, Mkrtchian, Khalafian 20 [89]
1998 33rd Chess Olympiad Russia Elista, Russia Danielian, Hlgatian, Mkrtchian, Aginian 21 [90]
2000 34th Chess Olympiad Turkey Istanbul, Turkey Danielian, Mkrtchian, Hlgatian, Aginian 10 [91]
2002 35th Chess Olympiad Slovenia Bled, Slovenia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Hlgatian, Galojan 15 [92]
2004 36th Chess Olympiad Spain Calviá, Spain Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian, Andriasian 11 [41]
2006 37th Chess Olympiad Italy Turin, Italy Mkrtchian, Danielian, Aginian, Andriasian 8 [93]
2008 38th Chess Olympiad Germany Dresden, Germany Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian, Galojan, Andriasian 6 [94]
2010 39th Chess Olympiad Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Aginian, Kharatian 11 [95]
2012 40th Chess Olympiad Turkey Istanbul, Turkey Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Hairapetian 6 [96]
2014 41st Chess Olympiad Norway Tromsø, Norway Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Sargsyan 5 [97]
2016 42nd Chess Olympiad Azerbaijan Baku, Azerbaijan did not participate
2018 43rd Chess Olympiad Georgia (country) Batumi, Georgia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Sargsyan, Kursova, Ghukasyan 6 [98]

World Team Championships

[edit]
See also: World Team Chess Championship
Men's
Year Location Players Position Ref
1993 Switzerland Lucerne, Switzerland Vaganian, Akopian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian, Petrosian 4 [99]
1997 Switzerland Lucerne, Switzerland Akopian, Vaganian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian, Khachiyan 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [45]
2001 Armenia Yerevan, Armenia Akopian, Vaganian, Lputian, Asrian, Anastasian, Minasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [46]
2005 Israel Beersheba, Israel Aronian, Akopian, Asrian, Vaganian, Lputian, Anastasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [47]
2010 Turkey Bursa, Turkey Aronian, Akopian, Sargissian, Pashikian, Petrosian, Kotanjian 5 [100]
2011 China Ningbo, China Aronian, Movsesian, Akopian, Sargissian, Hovhannisyan 1st place, gold medalist(s) [48]
2013 Turkey Antalya, Turkey Aronian, Movsesian, Akopian, Sargissian, Petrosian 5 [101]
2015 Armenia Tsaghkadzor, Armenia Aronian, Sargissian, Movsesian, Akopian, Melkumyan 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [102]
2017 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia did not participate
2019 Kazakhstan Astana, Kazakhstan did not participate
Women's
Year Location Players Position Ref
2007 Russia Yekaterinburg, Russia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian, Andriasian, Aghabekian 8 [103]
2009 China Ningbo, China Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Aginian, Andriasian 5 [104]
2011 Turkey Mardin, Turkey Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Aginian 6 [105]
2013 Kazakhstan Astana, Kazakhstan did not participate[106]
2015 China Chengdu, China Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Gaboyan 7
2017 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia did not participate
2019 Kazakhstan Astana, Kazakhstan 8 [107]

European Team Championships

[edit]
Men's
See also: European Team Chess Championship
Armenia vs Azerbaijan at the 2011 European Team Chess Championship. Levon Aronian (left) and Teimour Radjabov (right) pictured in the foreground.
Year Location Players Position Ref
1992 Hungary Debrecen, Hungary Vaganian, Akopian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian 19 [108]
1997 Croatia Pula, Croatia Akopian, Vaganian, Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [49]
1999 Georgia (country) Batumi, Georgia Lputian, Minasian, Anastasian, Petrosian 1st place, gold medalist(s) [109]
2001 Spain León, Spain did not participate[110]
2003 Bulgaria Plovdiv, Bulgaria did not participate[111]
2005 Sweden Gothenburg, Sweden Akopian, Aronian, Vaganian, Lputian, Anastasian 12 [112]
2007 Greece Heraklion, Greece Aronian, Akopian, Sargissian, Asrian, Lputian 2nd place, silver medalist(s) [50]
2009 Serbia Novi Sad, Serbia Aronian, Akopian, Sargissian, Pashikian, Petrosian 4 [113]
2011 Greece Porto Carras, Greece Aronian, Movsesian, Akopian, Sargissian, Hovhannisyan 4 [114]
2013 Poland Warsaw, Poland Aronian, Movsesian, Akopian, Sargissian, Petrosian 4 [115]
2015 Iceland Reykjavík, Iceland Aronian, Sargissian, Movsesian, Melkumyan, Grigoryan 2nd place, silver medalist(s) [50]
2017 Greece Halkidiki, Greece
Women's
Year Location Players Position Ref
1992 Hungary Debrecen, Hungary Aslanian, Hlgatian, Grigorian 19 [116]
1997 Croatia Pula, Croatia Danielian, Hlgatian, Mkrtchian 5 [117]
1999 Georgia (country) Batumi, Georgia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Hlgatian 5 [118]
2001 Spain León, Spain did not participate[119]
2003 Bulgaria Plovdiv, Bulgaria Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian 1st place, gold medalist(s) [120]
2005 Sweden Gothenburg, Sweden Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian, Andriasian, Galojan 6 [121]
2007 Greece Heraklion, Greece Danielian, Mkrtchian, Aginian, Andriasian, Aghabekian 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) [122]
2009 Serbia Novi Sad, Serbia Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Aginian, Andriasian 5 [123]
2011 Greece Porto Carras, Greece Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Aginian 7 [124]
2013 Poland Warsaw, Poland Danielian, Mkrtchian, Galojan, Kursova, Hairapetian 5 [125]

Club championships

[edit]

In 1995, the Yerevan city club won the European Chess Club Cup men's tournament.[126] In 2006, the Yerevan MIKA club won the European Club Cup women's tournament.[127]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ active players only
  2. ^ active female players only

Citations

  1. ^ "Շախմատի տուն [House of Chess]". chesshouse.am (in Armenian). Chess House after Tigran Petrosian. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "In Armenia chess is king and grandmasters are stars". The Independent. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Compulsory chess lessons might be making Armenia's kids supersmart". msnNOW. Microsoft. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
  4. ^ Shahrigian, Shant; Werman, Marco (1 November 2011). "Learning Chess in Elementary School". The World. Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014.
  5. ^ Garry Kasparov has compared the popularity of chess in Armenia with the popularity of football (soccer) in Latin America. "Garry Kasparov: "There's No Doubt That Carlsen Is the Strongest Player"". Chess-News.ru. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. In Armenia chess became something like soccer in Latin America and it's even an obvious subject at schools.
  6. ^ a b Parkinson, Joe (3 December 2012). "Winning Move: Chess Reigns as Kingly Pursuit in Armenia". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021.
  7. ^ Moss, Stephen (16 November 2011). "Armenia's killer chess move". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Armenia is an obsessive chess-playing country, one of the strongest in the world despite a population that is the same as – yes, you guessed it – Wales.
  8. ^ "Armenia: the cleverest nation on earth". BBC World Service. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021.
  9. ^ Chakelian, Anoosh (May 24, 2014). "Armenia Is an International Superpower—at Chess". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Speech by President Sargsyan on the occasion of the gold victory of the men's national chess team at the World Chess Olympiad". president.am. The Office to the President of the Republic of Armenia. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. The Armenian chess players through their splendid performance, talent and will power proved once again that our country is a chess superpower.
  11. ^ "Armenia Wins World Chess Title, Ukraine Takes Third". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Chess has been one of Armenia's most popular sports 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.
  12. ^ "Federations Ranking". fide.com. World Chess Federation. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  13. ^ Akhmeteli, Nina (19 January 2012). "Chess lessons introduced to the curriculum in Armenian schools". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020.
  14. ^ a b c Parameswaran; Gaedtke, Gayatri; Felix (24 March 2013). "Chess mania captures Armenia's attention". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Adjarian, Hrachia (1926). Հայերեն Արմատական Բառարան [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian). Vol. 3. Yerevan University Press. p. 190.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g Petrosian, Tigran; Hakobian, G. (1982). "Շախմատ [Chess]". Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia (in Armenian). Vol. 8. Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia. pp. 414–415.
  17. ^ Awde, Nicholas; Davidian, Vazken-Khatchig (2006). Western Armenian Dictionary & Phrasebook. New York: Hippocrene Books. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7818-1048-7.
  18. ^ Kouyoumdjian, Mesrob G. (1981). Ընդարձակ Բառարան Անգլիերէնէ Հայերէն [A Comprehensive English - Armenian Dictionary]. Beirut: G. Doniguian & Fils. p. 226.
  19. ^ Chess: East and West, Past and Present. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1968. p. xxv.
  20. ^ "checkmate (n.)". etymonline.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021.
  21. ^ a b Orbeli, Joseph; Trever, Kamilla (1936). Шатранг. Книга о шахматах [Shatrang: The Book of Chess] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: State Hermitage. p. 195. OCLC 82233681. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06.
  22. ^ United States Chess Federation; Kurzdorfer, Peter (2003). The Everything Chess Basics Book. Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4405-2229-1. Chess is a descendant of a game called Chaturanga believed to have originated in India in the sixth century and which may have been related to a much older Chinese game.
  23. ^ Ghafadarian, Karo (1970). "Հնագիտական աշխատանքը Հայաստանում սովետական շրջանում [Archaeological Research in Armenia in Soviet Years]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (3). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 16. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  24. ^ Thomson, Robert W. (1989). "The Historical Compilation of Vardan Arewelcʿi". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 43: 192. doi:10.2307/1291609. JSTOR 1291609.
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  26. ^ Lasker, Emanuel (1930). Շախմատի տարերքը: Ուղեցույց սկսնակների համար [Lasker's How to Play Chess: An Elementary Text Book for Beginners] (in Armenian). Translated by Simon Hovyan. Yerevan: Pethrat.
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