Two men playing chess inhas been played in since the; however, it was institutionalized during the early. Highly popular in Armenia today, chess gained widespread recognition during the 1960s, when Soviet Armenian grandmaster became the. A country of about three million people, Armenia is considered one of the strongest chess nations today. Among countries, Armenia has one of the most chess per capita.Since the country's independence, the Armenian men's chess team has won the (1999), the (2011) and the (2006, 2008, 2012). The women's team had its crowning victory at the 2003 European Championship.

As of December 2019, Armenia ranks sixth in the world by the average rating of its top players., Armenia's best chess player, has placed as high as world No. 2 in the, and has been a on six occasions.Since the 2011–12 school year, chess lessons have been made part of the curriculum in every public school in Armenia, making it the first country in the world to make chess mandatory in schools. A 1996 Armenian postage stamp depicting and theThe first chess competitions were held in 1927, when the was founded. Until 1934 chess players from Armenia competed in the championship.

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In 1934 the first Armenian Chess Championship was held in Yerevan. Became its winner. In later years Kasparyan won the championship nine times and became the most-titled Armenian chess player with ten national championship wins.

The women's championship was also held the same year, Sirush Makints and Margarita Mirza-Avagian shared the champion title. The first Armenian chess club was founded in 1936. Chess clubs were also founded in (now Gyumri) and (now Vanadzor) in the 1950s.Chess became particularly popular with the unprecedented success of in the 1960s.

Born in, the current capital of Armenia's neighbor, he started his ascent in Armenia with a 1946 victory at the national championship. He then won the title four times (1959, 1961, 1969, 1975). In 1963 Petrosian became the World Chess Champion, defeating, another Soviet representative.

Petrosian's victory not only popularized the game of chess, but also 'led to an outpouring of patriotic fervour' in the smallest. 'From that moment on, chess became a national obsession.'

Many couples named their sons Tigran, after Petrosian. Besides being World Champion for six years (1963 to 1969), Petrosian won the nine times with the Soviet team (1958 to 1974).In 1962, there were 30,000 chess players in Soviet Armenia, as well as 3,000 instructors and judges. By 1986 the number of chess players had increased to 50,000, including three grandmasters:,. In the late Soviet period, Rafael Vaganian (1989) and (1991) became.

Vaganian also won the Olympiad with the Soviet team twice in 1984 and 1986. Independent Armenia Armenia gained its independence from the in 1991. Since then, Armenian chess players have had the opportunity to represent the Republic of Armenia. Three major have taken place in independent Armenia: the was held at the in Yerevan in 1996; the 2001 and the were held at the.Armenia earned its first medal at the 1992 Chess Olympiad, finishing third. Armenia won bronze medals at the and Olympiads as well.

The Armenian team made a breakthrough with the sensational victory at the. They also won the and Chess Olympiads.

Their record at the World Team Championships has been similarly outstanding, finishing third in 1997, 2001, and 2005, and winning in 2011. Basic first aid instructions. At the European championships the team performed somewhat more poorly, placing third in 1997, first in 1999, and second in 2007.

Children playing at an outdoor chess set in Charles Aznavour Square of YerevanIn 2011, the Ministry of Education of Armenia made chess part of the primary school curriculum along with such standards as math and history for children over the age of 6. Chess is compulsory for second, third and fourth graders. Over $1.5 million was spent on the program.

The inclusion of chess in schools was generally received positively by the public, but some parents claimed that their children's school program was already complicated and overloaded. Grandmaster argued that 'bringing chess into schools is the best way to build the future.' Grandmaster criticized the program as 'farce.' The decision was widely reported in the international media. Journalists, chess experts and officials in various countries praised the program and advised its adoption in their respective countries.

During his visit to Armenia in 2014 stated: 'I think Armenia's experience of teaching chess in schools is a great example for the whole world.' On December 12, 2019 the (UN) designated 20 July as World Chess Day as proposed by the Armenian delegation. It marks the date in 1924 when the was established. Armenian diaspora A number of ethnic Armenian chess players have achieved success outside of Armenia.In 1985, born in, to an Armenian mother and Russian Jewish father, became World Champion.

Although he never represented Armenia and is only half-Armenian, some sources preferred to call him Armenian, partly because his last name is the form of his mother's Armenian last name Kasparyan.Other notable chess players include (Russia), (Uzbekistan), (United States), and (Canada).Institutions The national governing body for chess, the, was founded in 1927., then, was elected its president in 2004 and was reelected in 2011. Sargsyan 'is known for enthusiastically supporting Armenian chess players.' On one occasion, Sargsyan stated that 'We don't want people to know Armenia just for the and the.

We would rather it was famous for its chess.' The Armenian government provides grandmasters with salaries and perks.The Chess Academy of Armenia (Հայաստանի շախմատի ակադեմիա) is a leading education institutions of chess in Armenia. It was founded in 2002 by the initiative of Grandmaster and supported by then-Prime Minister. The academy has also organized international and national chess tournaments. National championship. Main article:The first Armenian championship occurred in 1934 when it was part of the. Championships were held sporadically in the Armenian SSR until 1945, when they became an annual event; this practice has been continued in independent Armenia.

Genrikh Kasparyan has won it the most times (10 times), followed by (8 times), (6 times) and Artashes Minasian (6 times).The first woman's championship also took place in 1934, but was not held again till 1939. Some of the most notable women champions include (6 times), (4 times) and (3 times). The logo of Chess in Armenia magazineIn 1972, the magazine Chess in Armenia (Շախմատային Հայաստան Shakhmatayin Hayastan) was founded by Gaguik Oganessian. It was published monthly until 1997, when it became a weekly magazine. In 1972, the TV show Chess-64 (originally named Chess School) started to be aired by the.

Hosted by Gaguik Oganessian, it is the 'longest lived program series' in the channel's history. Another more recently created show, Chess World, is aired after the First News. Individual statistics , the World Chess Federation, lists 24 active Armenian grandmasters, 4 woman grandmasters, 17 and 4 woman international masters. Men The Top 10 Armenian grandmasters as of September 2018 are listed below.