chess armenia chess played armenia early middle ages early soviet period highly popular armenia today chess gained widespread recognition 1960s soviet armenian country million people armenia considered strongest chess nations today countries armenia chess capita country independence armenian men chess team won women team victory european championship february armenia ranks seventh world average rating players armenia best chess player currently world rankings candidate times school year chess lessons curriculum public school armenia making country world chess mandatory schools compared popularity chess armenia popularity football soccer latin_america early 20th century chess known armenian middle persian today term pronounced western armenian spoken armenian modern eastern armenian variation armenian chess known derived russian derivative persian literally meaning king loss history early history book chess suggest chess known armenia 9th century armenia arab rule according game brought armenia arabs india game believed originated 6th century chess figures found citadel medieval armenian capital chess mentioned manuscripts 12th century 13th century kept including 13th century manuscript mid-20th century villagers near chess figures similar medieval ones soviet period chess armenia establishment soviet rule initiative chemist sections chess started appearing armenian newspapers contributed chess armenia giving lectures translated books armenian chess competitions held founded chess players armenia competed championship armenian chess championship held winner later years won championship times titled armenian chess player national championship wins women championship held year shared champion title armenian chess club founded chess clubs founded 1950s chess particularly popular unprecedented success 1960s born current capital armenia neighbor georgia started ascent armenia victory national championship won soviet champion title times defeating soviet representative victory popularized game chess led patriotic smallest soviet republic moment chess national obsession couples named sons years won times soviet team chess players instructors judges number chess players increased including late soviet period soviet champions won soviet team twice born armenian mother russian jewish father represented armenia half armenian sources preferred armenian partly form mother armenian armenia gained independence soviet_union armenian chess players opportunity represent major chess tournaments taken place independent armenia 32nd held world team chess championship european individual chess championship held armenia earned medal finishing armenia won bronze medals armenian team breakthrough sensational victory chess won chess record similarly outstanding finishing winning european championships team performed somewhat poorly placing second teaching chess schools armenia chess primary school curriculum standards math history children age chess compulsory second fourth million spent program inclusion chess schools generally received positively public parents claimed children school program complicated argues bringing chess schools best way build future decision widely reported international media journalists chess experts officials countries praised program advised adoption respective countries visit armenia stated think armenia experience teaching chess schools great example world institutions national governing body chess founded president elected president defence minister reelected known enthusiastically supporting armenian chess players occasion stated don want people know armenia earthquake genocide famous chess armenian government provides salaries leading chess teaching institutions country founded initiative supported prime minister academy organized international national chess tournaments national championship armenian championship occurred championships held sporadically armenian annual event practice continued independent armenia won times times followed times times times woman championship took place held till notable women champions include times times times media magazine chess armenia founded published monthly weekly magazine originally named started aired armenia hosted longest lived program series channel history recently created aired news individual statistics lists active armenian woman international masters woman international masters men armenian listed currently world rankings won women women armenian chess players listed team records chess world team championships european team championships club championships city club won men tournament club won women tournament
Chess in Armenia