Armenia Shares Lead at Chess Olympiad

KHANTY MANSIYSK, Russia (A.W.)—Armenia is sharing the lead with Georgia and Hungary after five rounds at the 2010 Chess Olympiad, which is being held in Khanty Mansiysk from Sept. 19-Oct. 4. The three countries have won all five matches they have played so far. 

The team representing Armenia at the 39^th Chess Olympiad is comprised of chess grandmasters Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Arman Pashikian, and Avedik Grigoryan.  

In the women’s section, the Armenian women’s team has won four matches and lost one, and is currently 11^th in the rankings. Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchian, Lilit Galoian, Nelly Aginian, and Anahit Kharatyan are representing Armenia in this section. 

With six more rounds to go, it is very difficult to make predictions about the winners in both sections. The Armenian team won the Chess Olympiad in 2006 in Turin, Italy and in 2008 in Dresden, Germany. It took third place in 2002 and 2004 at Olympiads in Bled, Slovenia and in Calvia, Spain, respectively. 

Armenia hosted the Chess Olympiad in 1996 in Yerevan. The 40^th Chess Olympiad will be held in 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey. 

In the following days, the Armenian Weekly will continue providing coverage from Khanty Mansiysk.