rgcm
2009-11-30 16:33:22 UTC
(Prospect Magazine) - Armenia is a tiny, poor country in
the Caucasus, with a population of just over 3m. It has a
long history of bloodshed and oppression; when it appears
in the news it is usually because of its entanglement in
some labyrinthine regional feud. And it excels at the
ancient, cerebral game of chess. In the international Chess
Olympiad, held every two years, Armenia took bronze in 2002
and 2004, then gold in 2006 and 2008, eclipsing traditional
powerhouses such as Russia, the US, Germany and England.
National celebrations followed the most recent victory,
along with a set of commemorative stamps. Armenia has 27
grandmasters (GMs), the elite rank awarded to around 1,200
of the worlds best players. With more grandmasters than
China and many more per capita than Russia, this little
nation is a chess superpower. But why?
Continued: http://xrl.us/ArmeniaChess
the Caucasus, with a population of just over 3m. It has a
long history of bloodshed and oppression; when it appears
in the news it is usually because of its entanglement in
some labyrinthine regional feud. And it excels at the
ancient, cerebral game of chess. In the international Chess
Olympiad, held every two years, Armenia took bronze in 2002
and 2004, then gold in 2006 and 2008, eclipsing traditional
powerhouses such as Russia, the US, Germany and England.
National celebrations followed the most recent victory,
along with a set of commemorative stamps. Armenia has 27
grandmasters (GMs), the elite rank awarded to around 1,200
of the worlds best players. With more grandmasters than
China and many more per capita than Russia, this little
nation is a chess superpower. But why?
Continued: http://xrl.us/ArmeniaChess