The chess players in the Armenia team

NINGBO, China—The team representing Armenia won the World Chess Team Championship for the first time on Tuesday.

The Armenian team led by Levon Aronian, the world’s third highest ranked chess player, dominated throughout the 12-day tournament, winning five games and drawing the four others. It sealed the title with a draw against Ukraine in the final round of the competition, reported RFE/RL.

Tuesday’s title-winning match ended in a 2-2 draw (with all the four grandmasters tying their games) to cap Armenia’s unbeaten run in the tournament that brought together the world’s ten leading chess nations.

The pairings in the 9th round were Levon Aronian-Vasily Ivanchuk, Sergey Movsesian-Pavel Elyanov, Vladimir Akopian-Zahar Efimenko, Gabriel Sargsyan-Alexander Moiseenko

The results of all 9 rounds are presented below:

1. Armenia vs. Israel – 3.5:0.5
2. USA vs. Armenia – 2:2
3. Armenia vs. Russia – 2:2
4. Armenia vs. Egypt – 3.5:0.5
5. China vs. Armenia 1.5:2.5
6. Armenia vs. India – 2.5:1.5
7. Hungary vs. Armenia -1.5:2.5
8. Armenia vs. Azerbaijan – 2:2
9. Armenia vs. Ukraine – 2:2

Smbat Lputyan, the vice-president of Armenia’s Chess Federation called the team members “heroes.”

“Armenia twice became Olympic champion, world champion, but our team never won world team chess championship. It was very difficult to win the world’s strongest teams so brilliantly and confidently. It proves the Armenian chess team is one of the best in the world,” Lputyan noted.

“I am just proud Armenia is considered a powerful chess nation,” Lputyan emphasized, adding almost all the teams were strong and had equal chances to win the championship. “But our team was able to win a brilliant victory due to its solidarity and spirit,” Lputyan noted.