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Sport: Aronyan victory over Kramnik raises hopes for championship bid
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Armenia’s best chess-player and current World Cup holder Levon Aronyan beat in style the reigning world champion in a weekend exhibition match that Armenia federation officials hoped would lift his spirits before his bid to challenge the world’s ultimate crown later this month.

Aronyan triumphed over World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, of Russia, in a six-game rapid match staged at Yerevan’s Opera House on May 4-6.

(Two games were played each day. The time control for the whole game was 25 minutes with an increment of 10 seconds per move.)

The long-expected “battle of the [chess] minds” organized by the Armenian Chess Federation had drawn large audiences at the Opera House hall and many supporters outside.

“Armenia has a true passion for chess – it is the land of [world champion] Tigran Petrosyan and of Olympic champions. Chess is part and parcel of Armenia’s daily life, and it is hard to find a household in Armenia where this venerated game is not played,” the president of the Armenian Chess Federation, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan said in an address to the match participants. “Indeed, we glorify our beloved famous grandmasters, likewise holding the legendary greats from around the world in the highest regard and extending to them our sincere hospitality.”

Starting in 2008, FIDE has stipulated that the World Cup holder has the right to directly challenge the champion for the ultimate chess crown.

Here is the full story.

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