A Celebration for Young Chess Enthusiasts: The Pan-Armenian Chess Camp and Tournament Concludes Its 5th Anniversary Season

The 5th Pan-Armenian Chess Camp and Tournament (PACT) concluded its anniversary season on November 2 with an online closing ceremony. This year’s camp and tournament were held virtually from October 6 to October 31. The tournament followed a two-week online training camp featuring masterclasses, game analysis sessions, and simultaneous rapid games led by Armenia’s top grandmasters.

The PACT tournament was initiated by the AGBU Armenian Virtual College in collaboration with the Chess Academy of Armenia. Launched in 2020, the tournament has attracted a global virtual community of young chess enthusiasts and brought together nearly 1300 chess lovers from more than 50 countries worldwide, promoting communication, collaboration, and the advancement and accessibility of chess education.

The 2025 closing ceremony hosted distinguished guests, including Dr. Yervant Zorian, AGBU Vice President and AGBU AVC Founding President; Smbat Lputian, Grandmaster, Founder and President of the Chess Academy of Armenia, and Chairman of the FIDE Committee of Chess in Educational Systems; Andre Voegtlin, President of the Swiss Chess Federation and Chair of FIDE’s Social Commission; world-renowned grandmaster Artur Yusupov; several Armenian chess champions and grandmasters; as well as the participants.

In his welcoming remarks, AGBU Vice President and AGBU AVC Founding President Dr. Yervant Zorian emphasized that education and the preparation of knowledgeable, competitive, and forward-thinking youth have always been among AGBU’s core priorities...