9/12/2012 – When you see the pictures in our report, and especially when you watch the video, you have to think for yourself: if my country had won Gold at a chess Olympiad, would the reception in Moscow, New York, Frankfurt, Paris, Beijing, wherever, have been similarly effusive? The Armenian government and chess fans provided a wonderful reception for their warriors returning from Istanbul.
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The 40th Chess Olympiad took place in the Turkish metropole of Istanbul, from
August 27 to September 10th, 2012. A record of 158 national chess federations
brought teams to Istanbul to participate in this prestigious event, which was
won by the Armenian team (in the Open section).
Reception of the Armenian Team in Yerevan
Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan, who is also the chairman of the Armenian
Chess Federation, met the three-time Olympiad champions at Zvartnots Airport
in Yerevan. An army of chess fans and gathered there, and greeted with great
jubilation. Our players stepped off the plane to the sound of an orchestra playing
the national anthem of Armenia. They were the star team that won the title of
Olympic champion: international grandmasters Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargsyan,
Tigran L. Petrosyan, Vladimir Akopian and Sergei Movsesian. After the official
ceremony the champions, led by Serzh Sargsyan, went to Liberty Square to participate
in a gala concert in their honor. The mayor of Yerevan has arranged to give
the Square a festive look in honor of the victorious return of our players in
the capital.
The "Gold" team of Armenia has participated in Olympiads since 1992,
and in the last twenty years has brought home three gold medals. After winning
Olympic bronze in 2004 in Spain, the"golden age" of the team began.
Our guys were the best in 2006 in Turin, in 2008 in Dresden and now in Istanbul.
Reception at the Presidential Palace in honor of the Armenian chess team
The President of the Republic of Armenia, Chairman of the Armenian Chess Federation
Serzh Sargsyan held a reception in honor of the members of the Armenian Chess
Team – three time Olympian Champions. On this occasion, there was also
organized an award ceremony at the Presidential Palace. Congratulating all Armenians
on the occasion of the victory in the 40th world Chess Olympiad, President Sargsyan
said, in part:
“Very few countries have been able to register success like this one
in the history of the Chess Olympiads, and that fact fills our hearts with pride.
To be more precise, only teams of the Soviet Union, Russia and Armenia won the
Olympiads three or more times. The Armenian chess players continue to inspire
our society with the faith in its own strength and with self-confidence. They
prove with their own example that we can achieve a lot, relying upon our intellect
and collective consciousness.
The Armenian Olympiad team at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan
Today, we are glorifying our heroes. They serve as an example not only to the
young people but for all. In a way, they symbolize our country, the road our
country and our people went down in the past and will go down in the future.
When we state that humans are the greatest resource for our development, we
mean human qualities just like these ones – strong, competitive in the
international field, and patriotic. Great results through small means –
that’s what we do, and they prove it for the third time, leaving giants
to trail behind.
The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan (right), congratulates Levon Aronian
Thank you, guys, excellent job, I wish you success comparable with your modesty
and let the memory of Karen
Asrian as your guardian angel, lead you towards new victories.
Armenia – a tiny, poor country of around three million people - has won
the chess Olympics twice in a row. In so doing, it has triumphed over giants
like Russia, China and the US. Chess is pursued fanatically in many parts of
the world, but nowhere more so than Armenia, where its over-the-board stars
have become national celebrities. But how has little Armenia created a nation
of chess geniuses – is there something in the water? Assignment investigates.
Listen
now(25 minutes, very worthwhile, with
Aronian interview)
Video impressions
Before we proceed to the pictures, which are provided by Arman Karakhanyan
from Yerevan, here are video impressions of the arrival of the Armenian team
in Yerevan.
Celebrations at Liberty Square in Yerevan
The victorious team travelling to Liberty Square in open limousines
They walk through the square...
... and are greeted effusively by jubilant fans
Winners: Gabriel Sargissian, Vladimir Akopian, Tigran Petrosian, Levon Aronian,
Sergei Movsesian and, holding up the trophy, captain Arshak Petrosian
A musical presentation awaits them...
... with a chess themed dance number on the stage
After that it is the turn of the players to mount the stage
Captain Petrosian speaks, Akopian, Petrosian (no relative) and Movsessian listen
Aronian, Sargissian and captain Petrossian
The hero of board one: Levon Aronian, number two in world rankings
Pictures by Arman Karakhanyan from Yerevan
Recent Chess Olympiad winners
From 1950 to 1990 there were 21 Chess Olympiads, of 18 of which the Soviet
Union won Gold. After the breakup of the Communist nation Russia continued their
winning streak, until 2002. Since then Gold has eluded, most narrowly in the
40th Olympiad in Istanbul, where they trailed Arminia by just a few tiebreak
points. Armenia won Gold three times, Ukraine twice.
The top games were broadcast live on the official web site and on the
chess server Playchess.com.
If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there
and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase
11 or any of our Fritz
compatible chess programs.
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