Armenia won the gold medals in the Istanbul Chess Olympiad for the third time in four years — an astonishing feat for a small nation. Part of the secret of their success is the fact that chess is now taught as a curriculum subject in Armenian schools; the Armenian hero Tigran Petrosian created a chess boom by winning and retaining the world championship from 1963-1969. The top board player for Armenia in their Istanbul triumph was Levon Aronian, who will also be seen in action in the London Classic starting at London’s Olympia in early December.
Final scores were: Armenia and Russia 19; Ukraine 18; China and USA 17. England finished in 17th position on 15. The following game was a key victory for the current world no. 2, Lev Aronian, in enabling Armenia to gain the gold medals.
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