Levon Aronyan will take a break
The opening ceremony of the 39th World Chess Olympiad was held yesterday in the Russian city of Khanti Mansiysk.
Participating in the Olympiad will be nearly 1,400 chess players from 158 countries.
Current world chess champion Vishvanatan Anand will not be taking part in the Olympaid this year. "Recently, I have gotten tired of chess. I have taken part in several big competitions and I had a difficult match for the world champion in May. Of course, I would love to help my country's team, but I need to take a break now," said the Indian chess master.
Everyone can follow up on the Olympiad in Khanti Mansiysk because the entrance is free (tickets for the previous Olympiad in Dresden ranged from 20-100 euros). The prize fund makes up 135,000 dollars. The winner of the men's tournament will receive 50,000 dollars, the runner-up will receive 25,000 dollars and the third place winner will receive 15,000 dollars. As for the women's team, they will receive 25,000, 12,000 and 8,000 respectively.
The matches of the first round will be held today. The Armenian men's chess team will face off with the team from Costa Rica. Levon Aronyan, who represents Armenia on the first chess board, will rest and be substituted by Vladimir Hakobyan.
The Armenian women's chess team will compete against an international team composed of female chess players from different countries.
