Chess Olympiad for the Third Time in a Row" width="314" height="211" />By Adonia Agayan

YEREVAN, July 10 — Armenian Grandmaster and the leader of the Armenian chess team Levon Aronian believes that Armenian chess players have all the chances to win the World Chess Olympiad for the third time in a row.

“It is always difficult to win but I think we will manage,” he said.

The 39th World Chess Olympiad will be held in September in Khanty-Mansiysk. The Armenian team won the previous Olympiads in Turin, 2006 and Dresden, 2008.

“In general, there are no weak players in such tournaments. All in all the entire chess world hasn’t had such a candidate pool as it has now,” Aronian said.

Eight leading chess players will compete for the world crown. The matches will be held at the end of 2010. The winner of the tournament will then compete with the current world champion Viswanathan Anand for the world crown.

The World Chess Federation (FIDE) published the July 2010 rating list of top players worldwide. Aronian ranks in fifth place.

The list is of top-ranking players is as follows:

1. Magnus Carlsen  (Norway)-2826
2. Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)-2803
3. Viswanathan Anand  (India)-2800
4. Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)-2790
5. Levon Aronian (Armenia)-2783

“I am doing my best,” Aronian said. He is preparing for the tournament in various countries, including Armenia.

Yerevan Report