page_title: Chess in Armenia
section_title: Independent Armenia
hierarchical_section_title: Chess in Armenia / History / Independent Armenia
caption_attribution_description: English: Chess at Charles Aznavour Square, Yerevan.
context_page_description: Chess has been played in Armenia since the early Middle Ages; however, it was institutionalized during the early Soviet period. Highly popular in Armenia today, chess gained widespread recognition during the 1960s, when Soviet Armenian grandmaster Tigran Petrosian became the World Chess Champion. A country of about three million people, Armenia is considered one of the strongest chess nations today. Among countries, Armenia has one of the most chess grandmasters per capita.
  Since the country's independence, the Armenian men's chess team has won the European Team Championship, the World Team Championship and the Chess Olympiad. The women's team had its crowning victory at the 2003 European Championship. As of December 2019, Armenia ranks sixth in the world by the average rating of its top players. Levon Aronian, 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.
context_section_description: 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; the 2001 World Team Chess Championship and the 2014 European Individual Chess Championship were held at the Yerevan Opera Theater.
  Armenia earned its first medal at the 1992 Chess Olympiad, finishing third. Armenia won bronze medals at the 2002 and 2004 Olympiads as well. The Armenian team made a breakthrough with the sensational victory at the 2006 Chess Olympiad. They also won the 2008 and 2012 Chess Olympiads. Their record at the World Team Championships has been similarly outstanding, finishing third in 1997, 2001, and 2005, and winning in 2011. At the European championships the team performed somewhat more poorly, placing third in 1997, first in 1999, and second in 2007.
  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. Chess is compulsory for second, third and fourth graders. 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. Grandmaster Smbat Lputian argued that "bringing chess into schools is the best way to build the future." Grandmaster Rafael Vaganian criticized the program as "farce."
  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. 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."
  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.
caption: Children playing at an outdoor chess set in Charles Aznavour Square of Yerevan
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