Armenia and chess

[Rubo]

The results of the 34th chess olimpiad

 

Leading Final Standings: Men's: 1 Russia 38½ 2 Hungary 37½ 3 Armenia 35 4 Georgia 34 5 China 33½ 6 Netherlands 33½ 7 England 33½ 8 Slovakia 33 9 Israel 33 10 Yugoslavia 33 11 FYR Macedonia 33 12 Switzerland 33 13 Poland 32½ 14 Ukraine 32½ 15 Bosnia and Herzegovina 32½ 16 Germany 32½ 17 Belarus 32½ 18 Czech Republic 32½ 19 Spain 32½ 20 Uzbekistan 32½ 21 Lithuania 32 22 Iceland 32 23 Croatia 31½ 24 France 31½ 25 Greece 31½ 26 Denmark 31½ 27 Bulgaria 31½ 28 Romania 31 29 India 31 30 Azerbaijan 31 31 Moldova 31 32 Sweden 31 33 Canada 31 34 Bangladesh 31 35 Brazil 31 36 Ireland 31 37 Cuba 30½ 38 Italy 30½ 39 Philippines 30½ 40 Slovenia-A 30½ 41 United States 30½ 42 Latvia 30½ 43 Estonia 30½ 44 Belgium 30½ 45 Finland 30½

 

Hi guys I am proud of Armenia’s latest successes in chess. Coming third and beating France, Germany, and Italy etc. must make any Armenian proud. Here is some more good news.

 

Check Mates: New chess academy aims to breed champions

By Zara Chatinian ArmeniaWeek reporter

 

A new Academy of Chess has been established by a Grandmaster who believes the game can become a key advertisement for Armenia’s young talent. Smbat Lputian, who for two decades has been among the world’s best players, has set up the academy in Yerevan with the financial support of the Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian. Lputian says: “Nothing could better promote Armenia in the world under current circumstances than chess. “Historically Armenia has a great tradition of distinguished chess players. I strongly believe Armenia should use this opportunity to be better represented in the wider world through its champions. “In addition, developing chess does not require significant financial expenditure.” The academy opened its doors in February, accepting 36 students to work with six chess trainers, including Grandmasters. It offered places to youngsters aged up to 20, both male and female, who proved their ability in regional and national chess competitions. The Armenian Chess Federation organized tournaments for players aged under 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. The top three players from the male and female competitions in each age group are to be enrolled in the Academy for a year, studying free of charge. Classes are held for three hours a day three days a week. The academy sets out five levels of progression, each one designed to bring the students to a greater degree of professionalism and to work with more experienced trainers. “We have a nine-year old, Samvel Ter-Sahakian from Vanadzor, who is a champion of Armenia in the under-10 group,” says Lputian. “I believe he will be among the most distinguished Armenian champions in the world championships in a few years’ time.” The students regularly participate at championships, local and international. Before the latter, training sessions become more intense to prepare them for the challenge they will face. Some of the academy’s students have already received international recognition as Grandmasters under the rankings created by the game’s governing body, the Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE). Lilit Mkrtchian, 20, is one of them. She became women’s champion of Armenia at the age of just 13 and was named a Grandmaster at 17. Lputian says: “We have two young female Grandmasters now, something which was not common in Armenia before.” Armenia’s strength in the world game is partly inherited from the Soviet Union, where huge resources were devoted to developing chess talent for propaganda reasons. But once the Soviet Union collapsed, says Lputian, the sport was plunged into crisis. Former contacts and partnerships within the Union were lost and financial support shrunk dramatically in the wake of the economic crisis in Armenia. Many talented chess players joined the large-scale emigration from the republic. “We reached the point where if we waited another five years or so we would definitely lose all of our potential in the sport. There was a need for urgent decisions,” says Lputian. His idea of establishing a high-level school to develop promising players was maturing for four years but lacked the support necessary to make it a reality. Unexpectedly, it became possible. “I was at dinner with Mr. Markarian and we were talking about the difficulties facing chess. I did not expect the conversation to go beyond complaints and general comments, as normally happens on occasions like this,” says Lputian. “But in fact Markarian followed up with my idea to establish an Academy of Chess.” Markarian and a number of friends interested in Armenia’s future chess reputation are supporting the academy from their own private funds. Armenia’s success in chess competitions is out of all proportion to its size as a country of three million people. It has 140 players (120 men and 20 women) in FIDE's current world chess rankings, including 14 Grandmasters. In the 2001 World team championships, which were held in Yerevan, Armenia took third prize behind Ukraine and Russia. The Armenian team took first place in the European Championships held in Georgia in 1999. And Armenia’s team won gold medals at the 1995 European Club Championships. Armenia had a larger number of players in the latter stages of the 1999 FIDE Knock-Out Championship in Las Vegas, USA, than America, Ukraine, Israel, Germany and China. Three of the academy’s students are included in Armenia’s five-strong entry at the European Women’s Championships in Bulgaria. One of its major projects is to organize chess training over the Internet. The academy plans to use the Internet to provide online lessons to young players in schools in all regions of Armenia. This could develop into a means of spotting outstanding talent at an early age. A team of programmers has been working for eight months to create the online classes, which Lputian hopes will provide income in the future to support the academy’s activities. “It will be a unique project, I don’t believe there is a similar one anywhere else in the world. Hopefully it will become a very useful product,” says Lputian. “We have to pay proper attention to our gifted young people. Our students are the future of Armenia’s chess team in the world championships and will bring fame to the country. I have complete faith in them.” He adds: “Some day they will promote Armenia worldwide by demonstrating their superiority over Russian, European and American teams.”

[Mher]

Rubo jan

 

I totally agree with you, we have to make ( contribute, donate, sponsor, encourage) our young and talented into this arena, us you say this is a great "export" of our beloved Armenia, which is well know over the time, in fact I can see one young kid emerging already and becoming a gross master in a very near future and that young mans name is ARVAN SAHAKIAN, I will allow my self to take this opportunity and congratulate him on his accomplishments in the past and for ones waiting for him in the future years to come, that will make you a proud father, I wish all of our young and talented well, and to Arvan in particular on November 12th at Atlanta on national championships, extend my kisses and hugs to my favorite nephew, and your(your wife’s as well) input has and already showing what a talent that kid is.

[Rubo]

Thank you Mher for your support but the true credit really goes to my wife, very lucky man I am.She hassles Arvan in and out of chess clubs twice a week in addition of private chess leasons.Arvan is really gifted, I am having trouble beating him now sometimes.I own the kid two thousand dollars of lost games and he does expect to be paid some day...

I do agree that chess is the best export Armenia has to publisize herself.I have great hope that someday Arvan will compete internationally as a member of an Armenian team.I do consider possibilty of sending Arvan to chess school in Armenia, we will see.Take care Mher