Tiny Armenia is a big player in world chess, and a new gambit could make it even bigger: mandatory chess in school. The former Soviet nation has made the game part of the primary school curriculum along with such standards as maths and history for children between the ages of seven and nine.

Chess is a national obsession in this country of 3 million people tucked away in a corner between Turkey and Iran. The passion was fostered in modern times by the exploits of chess champion Tigran Petrosian, who won the world championship in 1963 and successfully defended his title three years later.

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