The final stage of the 20th Armenian School Chess Olympiad came to an end in Kapan

On September 12, the final stage of the 20th Armenian School Chess Olympiad came to an end in Kapan.

Over several days, 14 of Armenia’s top school teams competed for the Olympiad title, bringing together schoolchildren, coaches and teachers from different communities across Armenia.

The 20th Olympiad also marked an important milestone in a 20-year journey. Over the years, thousands of children have met through this platform, friendships have been formed, tournaments have been played, and most importantly, school chess has continued to grow and move forward.

The closing ceremony brought this journey together. Among those present were GM Smbat Lputian, First Vice President of the Chess Federation of Armenia and Founder-General Director of the Chess Academy of Armenia; Inessa Margaryan, Director of Humanitarian Programs at the Armenian General Benevolent Union; and Artur Khojabaghyan, President of the Syunik Chess Federation.

During the ceremony, special certificates of appreciation were also presented to Vahagn Khachatryan and Samvel Arzumanyan for their long-standing contribution to the development of school chess and their involvement in the establishment and continued development of the Olympiad.

This year’s top three are:
1st place — Yerevan No. 77 Basic School
2nd place — Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex
3rd place — Ayntap No. 1 Secondary School

Congratulations to the winners and to all participants.

The journey of the top three, however, does not end here. They will have the opportunity to represent Armenia at the European Continental Stage of the FIDE ISCF World Schools Team Championship, taking place in Tsaghkadzor from September 28 to October 3.

We extend our special thanks to the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the main sponsor of the Olympiad, and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, for their support of school chess and the continued implementation of this initiative, as well as for years of partnership. It is through partnerships like these that school chess can continue bringing new generations together.

The 20th Olympiad came to an end in Kapan, but the story that began 20 years ago continues.

We wish our school teams success on the international stage, and we will meet again next year.