Armenia at FIDE Grand Prix: Aronian draws first roundNovember 17, 2017 - 12:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian drew the first round of the final tournament of the FIDE Grand Prix in the Spanish town of Palma de Mallorca on Thursday, November 16. The FIDE Grand Prix 2017 is a series of four chess tournaments that form part of the qualification cycle for the World Chess Championship 2018. The top two finishers will qualify for the 2018 Candidates Tournament. Aronian who won the World Chess Cup in September, as well as Ding Liren, who reached the finals, have already qualified for the Candidates Tournament. Aronian faced Russia's Dmitry Jakovenko on Thursday, as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia) and Anish Giri (The Netherlands) defeated their opponents to lead the tournament. 18 grandmasters are taking part in the tournament whose second round is slated for Friday. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |