SERZH SARGSYAN: TIGRAN PETROSYAN IS A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL DIGNITY FOR US
ArmInfo
2009-08-10 12:01:00
ArmInfo. Tigran Petrosyan is more than a king of chess for us. He is
a symbol of national dignity and one of the brightest personalities
in our centuries-long history, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
said at the opening ceremony of the 5th FIDE Grand Prix stage in
the Armenian resort town of Jermuk on August 8 dedicated to the 80th
anniversary of the 9th World Champion Tigran Petrosyan.
According to the president, T Petrosyan has proved that the Armenian
chess players may and should achieve serious success. ‘His sport
achievements brought up several generations. After his victory at
the World Championship, all the Armenian families have started to
play chess’, S. Sargsyan recalled and added that this interesting
phenomenon could not but yield its fruits, and 44 years later the
Armenian chess players have become the Olympic champions and then
protected this title.
Touching on the 5th FIDE Grand Prix stage which started in Jermuk, the
president said holding of such a tournament does credit to any country.
‘This tournament is a holiday for the people who like and appreciate
the chess, and the attention of chess lovers from all over world
will be focused on Jermuk for the next few days’, S. Sargsyan
emphasized. For his part, Head FIDE Kirsan Ilumzhinov said Armenia
is an oasis and center of the chess development. ‘Significant chess
events are held in Armenia, and this country’s national team has
become a two-time Olympic champion, that indicates a great state
support to this sports’, K. Ilumzhinov said.
According to him, this tournament is special as it is dedicated to
the 80th anniversary of the 9th World Champion Tigran Petrosyan who
was not just a great chess player but also an example for the millions
of chess lovers to follow.
To note, two representatives of Armenia, Vladimir Hakopyan and Rapid
World Champion Levon Aronyan, take part in the tournament. Other
participants include chess players from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria,
USA, Hungary, France, Uzbekistan and Israel. The Azerbaijani chess
players do not participate in the tournament.
Prior to the tournament beginning on August 9, S. Sargsyan and
K. Ilumzhinov played a demonstrative game of chess and gave a start
to the Championship.
During his stay in Jermuk, president of Armenia also presented
notebooks to the children – winners of the "Armenian Knight" contest.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
