AGBU-sponsored inter-school chess tournament in fourth year

Published: Monday June 25, 2012

More than 5000 schoolkids took part in the tournament.

Yerevan - The winners of this year's AGBU-sponsored Republican Interschool Chess Tournament have been announced, marking an end to the annual eight-month-long competition that attracts thousands of talented youth across Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian schools in Javakh, Georgia.

The winning schools, Vanadzor School # 5, Gyumri School #3 and Yerevan School #55, which placed in first through third place respectively, progressed through four challenging rounds before receiving their titles. The first phase is held within schools; in the second phase, schools from the same community compete; through the third phase, winners of different communities from the same region participate; and, lastly, the finalists arrive at the regional level.

This year, the number of student participants, whose ages range from six to seventeen, totaled more than five thousand. The tournament's widespread popularity indicates the students' commitment to, and passion for, the game, which Inessa Margaryan, the AGBU Armenian Representation Special Projects Coordinator who coordinated the matches, witnessed firsthand. As she commented, "watching the pupils sit across the chessboards, we could sense their high level of concentration and focus on the game. They moved each piece with intention and care, and had clearly developed strategic approaches over the course of the tournament. It was rewarding to see so many students from various schools come together for the occasion," noting that over one thousand schools were represented.

The awards service, which was held on May 5 at the Chess Academy of Armenia in Yerevan, will likely be the first of many such ceremonies that this year's participants will have the honor of attending. Since it began in 2008, the Interschool Tournament, which is an initiative of the Armenian Chess Federation, under the auspices of the Republic of Armenia's Ministry of Education and Science, has produced many players who graduate to the professional level and take home prestigious awards from Armenia's Youth Chess Championship, the Republic of Armenia Chess Championship and the international Vladimir Dvorkovich Cup in Moscow.

For now, the recent winners of the AGBU-sponsored competition will enjoy prizes such as chess sets, chess clocks and projectors for their schools, as well as souvenirs from the Chess Academy and their local municipality. Those tools will keep them engaged while they continue to hone their expertise and skills, and prepare for the fifth tournament set to begin in October.

Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.