The Independant has an interesting article running today about the popularity of chess, and the skill of it’s players, in Armenia. Of course, being Armenian, I was curious to see what this was all about.

Apparently the country is completely chess-crazed.  Matches are talked about and critiqued on the nightly news, and chess champions are like rock stars. Armenia has 30 grandmasters, a title only given out to 1000 players worldwide.  3 of their grandmasters are in the top 100 players.

The article is a great read for those who may be interested in the subject.

As for myself? I like chess, but I’m definitely not as crazy about it as my nationality’s country is.

(source)