Chess is not just a game in Armenia, but a national passion that has become a source of pride for its people. In this essay, we will explore the history of chess in Armenia, its importance to the country’s cultural identity, and the reasons behind its success in producing some of the world’s best chess players.

The History of Chess in Armenia

The history of chess in Armenia dates back to the 9th century when the game was introduced to the region by Arab conquerors. Since then, chess has been an integral part of Armenian culture and has been passed down from generation to generation.

Armenia’s Rise to Prominence in Chess

Armenia’s rise to prominence in chess began in the 1950s, when Tigran Petrosian, a native of the country, won the World Chess Championship in 1963. Petrosian’s victory sparked a newfound interest in the game in Armenia and inspired a new generation of chess players. Since then, Armenia has consistently produced some of the world’s best chess players, winning multiple world championships, Olympiads, and other international tournaments.

Factors Contributing to Armenia’s Success in Chess

The success of chess in Armenia can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the government has shown tremendous support for the game, investing in the development of chess programs and facilities throughout the country. Secondly, chess is taught in schools and universities, and children are encouraged to play the game from a young age. Thirdly, chess has become a part of Armenian culture, and its success in producing world-class players has made it a source of national pride.

The Impact of Chess on Armenia

Chess has become so popular in Armenia that it is not uncommon to see people playing the game in public parks, cafes, and other public places. In fact, Armenia has one of the highest numbers of chess grandmasters per capita in the world, with over 30 grandmasters in a population of just 3 million people.

The success of chess in Armenia has also had a positive impact on the country’s economy. Chess tournaments and events have become major tourist attractions, drawing in visitors from all over the world. The game has also created job opportunities for chess coaches, trainers, and organizers.

Furthermore, chess has had a positive impact on the mental health of Armenians. Chess is known to improve cognitive abilities, memory, and problem-solving skills. In a country that has faced many challenges and struggles over the years, chess has provided a way for Armenians to focus on something positive and to take pride in their accomplishments.

Inspiring Other Countries to Invest in Chess

Armenia’s success in chess has also inspired other countries to invest in the game and promote it as a means of cultural and economic development. The game has become a universal language, bringing people from different countries and cultures together.

Conclusion

In conclusion, chess has become an integral part of Armenia’s cultural identity and a source of national pride. The game has had a positive impact on the country’s economy, mental health, and international reputation. With the continued support of the government and the passion of its people, Armenia will undoubtedly continue to produce some of the world’s best chess players and further cement its place in the global chess community.

Article Chess in Armenia: A National Passion and a Source of Pride is the first on iArmenia: Armenian History, Holidays, Sights, Events.

Education is indeed a necessary condition to prepare someone for life and work. Not to mention, it is the main means of communication and the basis of the development of civilization. Students acquire systematic knowledge, skills, and abilities. They also master the spiritual wealth of humanity and then transfer it to other generations.

The development of Armenian Universities started in the medieval period. Moreover, medieval Armenia had ‘high’ schools, some of which were also called universities.

Philosophy, logic, grammar, poetics, history, humanity. mathematics, theology, dialectology, music, painting, the art of writing were being taught. Eventually, after the establishment of the Soviet Union in Armenia in 1920, Yerevan University, at last, appeared.

Medieval Armenian Universities had art institutions and three high education institutions with the law, medical and also theological faculties.

At the art institution, the seven liberal arts (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy) have been taught in Latin. In addition, at the high education institution, students were able to get Masters and Ph.D. degrees.

the source of the following information: yerevan.am

NUMBER 10 — National Agricultural (Agrarian) University of Armenia

The National Agrarian University of Armenia (former State Agrarian University of Armenia) formed in 1994, is by far one of the largest universities in the country. It is also the only higher education institution in the agrarian sector.

The educational system of the university includes 7 faculties of daytime education:

• Agronomic
• Food technology
• Economics
• Veterinary medicine and animal husbandry
• Agricultural mechanization and automobile transport
• Hydromelioration, land management, and land cadaster
• Agribusiness and marketing

The governing bodies are the Board of Trustees, the Scientific Council together with the Rectorate. The self-governing bodies are the Student Council, the Student Scientific Society, the Trade Union Organization and also the Alumni Association.

ANAU cooperates with Agrarian Universities and Organizations of the CIS countries, a number of European universities and American (Fresno) Universities.

The collaboration with the Texas Agriculture and Mechanization (A & M) University, in particular, resulted in the creation of the Armenian-American Joint Agribusiness Training Center (TEC).

The University continues to collaborate with a number of authoritative universities and also international organizations, such as the International Science and Technology Center, the Netherlands International Center for Applied Research. North Atlantic Alliance (“Science for Peace”), Estonia Agricultural Research Center, Biodiversity International Organization (Rome), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Dry Areas International Center for Agricultural Research (ICARDA) and others.

Website of the university: ANAU

NUMBER 9 — Armenian State University of Economics

The Cooperative-Economic Institute was founded in 1930. Moreover, the university had several formation stages. It was once a part of the Yerevan State University, existing as a Faculty of Economics for 45 years.

The second birth or, in other words, the modern history of the economic self-development university in Armenia, however, began in 1975, Aug 6, when the Yerevan Institute of National Economy was formed. Eventually, in 2006 it became “Armenian State University of Economics”.

There is bachelors degree in the University (since 2005 also distance education), and starting from 2004 – a master’s degree (since 2009 also distance education). Bachelor’s, master’s and post-graduate education, as well as the application, is carried out by the credit system.

Currently, there are the following faculties:

• Management
• Informatics and Statistics
• Finance
• Economic Regulation and International Economic Relations
• Marketing and Business Management:
• Accounting and Auditing

What’s more, there is an electronic library in ASUE. By visiting the electronic library, you can freely search for e-catalogs and read e-books available on the ASUE site. Here is the link. ASUE also has branches in Gyumri and Yeghegnadzor

Website of the university: ASUE

NUMBER 8 — National Polytechnic University of Armenia

The university was founded on the basis of the Yerevan State University’s Architecture and Construction and Chemical Engineering Departments, with only 107 students.

Eventually, during 1980-1985, the university, however, became one of the largest higher educational institutions in Armenia. It was also one of the leading engineering schools in the Soviet Union, with over 25,000 students and also more than 66 professions.

In 1991, November 29, Yerevan Polytechnic Institute was renamed the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA). In the end, by the decision of the RA Government, the traditional name “Polytechnic”  was returned to the university.

• Chemical Technology and Environmental Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Cybernetics
• Power Engineering
• Radio Engineering and Communication Systems
• Computer Systems and Informatics
• Applied Mathematics and Physics
• General Engineering and Metallurgy
• Transport Systems
• Distance learning

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UWC Dilijan is the 14th member of the UWC movement (United World Colleges). UWC  movement was founded in 1962. Currently, the school provides IB Diploma years 1 and 2 (grades 11-12). It is one of seventeen colleges around the world. The mission of this movement is to “make education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. At the present time, the college has 38 faculties.

UWC Dilijan

UWC Dilijan has Summer Educational Programs, volunteering opportunities.  As a  matter of facts, the College provides high-quality health care for students and staff. The medical center is open 24 hours per day. Thus the college also has a dental room. It provides students and staff with regular dental checks.

Obviously, the core value of the college is to provide superiority in all aspects of development. So it includes intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual growth. UWC Dilijan has diverse facilities which include the main building, library, its facilities, Resource Centre, Medical Centre, Sports Complex, Sports facilities, outdoor learning areas and much more.

Governance of UWC Dilijan

The idea of the creation of UWC Dilijan came in 2006. The Founders of UWC Dilijan are Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend. In fact, the project became real due to the support of other Founding Patrons.  The Head of College is Denise Davidson

The organizers of the project opened Dilijan college on 11 October 2014. So they did it for the 2014-2015 academic year. In the opening day, many people came to congratulate the founders.

Among these people there was the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić. Besides them, you could also find clergymen. Thus among the guests, you could see Catholicos Karekin II of Armenia and Patriarch Mar Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syrian Orthodox Church.

Ruben Vardanyan

Ruben is an Armenian-Russian impact investor and social entrepreneur. He serves on the advisory boards of the business schools in Japan and Brazil. He is also a board member of Ameriabank, KAMAZ, etc.

Must be remembered that Ruben is famous for his financial projects and philanthropic programs. Thus together with his partners, Ruben invested about $500M in projects in Armenia. In 2015, Ruben co-founded the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

Veronika Zonabend

Veronika is an impact investor and social entrepreneur. She is actively involved in philanthropy. Veronica is a founding partner of UWC Dilijan in Armenia. She is also the founder of the RVVZ Family Foundation and the IDeA Charitable Foundation together with his husband Ruben. She sits on the Boards of Trustees at UWC International (UK) and the American University of Armenia.

Veronica chairs the Board of Directors at Teach For Armenia Educational Foundation. In 2014, the President of RA awarded Veronika Zonabend with the Order of Friendship for her contributions to the educational development and for building UWC Dilijan.

Here is the List of Founding Patrons

• Gagik Adibekyan (Founding Patron, Russia)
• Noubar & Anna Afeyan (Founding Patrons, USA)
• Vladimir & Anna Avetissian (Founding Patrons, Russia)
• Oleg Mkrtchan (Founding Patron, Ukraine)
• 4 Anonymous Founding Patrons

Goals

The goal of the founders was to put Armenia on the map of the educational world.  In fact, they also wanted to create an international boarding school of the highest standards. Besides all of these, they develop the region by new businesses and social activities.

Tree Planting Ceremony 2016

The School is a full member of UWC network of 14 schools around the world. All of these schools have a special mission. They deliver a challenging and transformational educational experience.

Obviously, they inspire the students to create a more peaceful and sustainable future. Currently, UWC Dilijan is completely accredited IB World School.

Mission

UWC Dilijan works with people from diverse backgrounds. The college has positive personal, local and global impact. But the main mission of the school is to unite people, nations, and cultures by the help of education force. Thus the college spreads peace and a sustainable future. The list below presents the aspects they develop.

Mini breakout session

• International and intercultural understanding
• Celebration of difference
• Respect for the environment
• Mutual responsibility and respect
• Personal challenge
• Personal responsibility and integrity

International Community

The founders opened the college on 11 October 2014. As mentioned above DilUWC had 198 students from 72 countries in the academic year 2016-17.  So many people around the world support this initiative. The founders employed 40 teachers from 17 countries.  They part in community life as tutors, mentors, and learners.

One of the inseparable parts of UWC Dilijan is CAS. The CASe and service programs are led by the students. Obviously, they engage local community and environment. In the College, the students contribute to their development both as an individual and as a part of a bigger community

Scholarships

If you want to be the UWC Dilijan Student and get a scholarship you must know several rules of the college. Here the students are chosen for nomination by National Committees of their home countries. Only after being selected the members of the Committees asked the family how much they can afford to pay. The committee does an assessment process. So if after the process the members notice that the family cannot pay the full fee then these students are considered for a scholarship. Thus it covers the rest of the fees that they cannot afford themselves to pay.

Main Academic Building on the Left and Sports Complex on the Right

For getting scholarship families of the selected students need to provide, show or prove that they really need help for the fee. After that UWC Team will find the necessary funds to meet the fees.

So if you can’t afford to pay the full fee do not hesitate to apply for the scholarship. The most students pay only a small part of the amount or nothing at all.

Grass Football Pitch and Sports Complex

It is important to realize that first, you need to concentrate on getting an admission offer. And then the families of successful candidates will be asked for information about family finances.

This will determine the required level of scholarships. Though the College team makes it possible for any chosen student attend the college.

Here is the list of 2016-2017 scholarship

198 students represent 72 countries;

• about 29% of students Of UWC Dilijan are on full scholarships;
• 63% of students Of UWC Dilijan are on different levels of partial scholarships.

The students who apply directly can’t get scholarships. So they must pay a full tuition fee of the school.

The campus of UWC Dilijan

The spaces of the school encourage collaborative learning. All things considered, it is crucial for the development of a well-rounded student. The design of the school provides access to knowledge anywhere at any time. Technologies used by UWC fuels a continuous, relevant and adaptive learning environment.

UWC Dilijan

There are natural springs that use rainwater for irrigation. The grounds extend over 88 hectares of spectacular sloping and wooded countryside. The classrooms of the school extend service-learning.

Tree Planting Ceremony 2016 – Spain

In UWC Dilijan the students share dining-rooms, common rooms, and bedrooms with students from many different cultures and countries. Thus the students learn and share an international experience.

All things considered, this makes a profound and lifelong change in their understanding of one another. The College develops life-skills by associating them with those with whom they do not immediately have a particular rapport.

Community Meetings

DP1 student from Russia, Gurgen Plays Piano

The College organizes community meetings every Monday. As a matter of facts, the purpose of these meetings is to gather the whole community. Thus all students gather after classes. They share interesting and important news and ideas.

K-pop dance performance

They also plan these meetings for announcing about their upcoming events. In the meetings, they also suggest the others to take part in it. Community Meetings are great ways for raising awareness on various topics. The meetings are organized by one of the members of the Student Council.

IB World School

History Class

As mentioned above, UWC Dilijan has IB Diploma Program. It is an academic program recognized by universities throughout the world. The students aged 16-19 study in the college. It consists of a two-year educational program. As a matter of facts, after completing the program the students get a good knowledge. So they can enter universities of highest ranks.

Alumni

Graduation Ceremony

The first graduation event of the UWC Dilijan was on May 28, 2016. 96 students from around 48 nations finished the two years of the school and took part in the graduation ceremony.

Graduation Ceremony

After graduation, many of the students continued their study in leading universities. These universities include Yale, Columbia, University of London, Duke, SOAS, Queen Mary University of London and such others. There are also students who have taken a gap year. So currently they are volunteering around the world as a UWC family member.

Dumfries House

Dumfries House Trust is a UK-based charity. It supports UWC Dilijan. HRH the Prince of Wales and Scholae Mundi chair the building. Dumfries House Trust will provide residential educational courses. So 12 students and up to 4 adults from the UWC Dilijan and other schools in Armenia can take part in the courses. The restored building has been named “Dilijan”. In fact, UWC Dilijan and other students will use 16 rooms of the building.

How to Apply

UWC Logo

UWC is an education movement. It comprises of 16 international schools. The movement has national committees in more than 150 countries.

National Committee run the Selection Process in candidate’s country of origin.

In fact, when they complete the selection process they become part of the movement.  They nominate a student to a specific college.

Criteria for Selection

Obviously, the Committee makes selection irrespective of social, religious, ethnic and financial considerations. By the process, the committee identifies civic-mindedness in students. In fact, they choose the students whose potentially benefit human kind. UWC helps a student to enter the school regardless of their financial circumstances.

Peace Walk

It is important to realize that the candidates can tell their preference to what college of this movement they want to enter.  Though the right for nomination a candidate for any college is the right of the national committees. In fact, the national committees make recommendations for admission but the final decision makes the Head of College.

UWC National Committees

As mentioned above, currently there are National Committees in over 150 countries. So the students can apply through this system. Up to the present time, National committees promote the colleges, select and prepare students and run short programs.

George Clooney in UWC Dilijan

National Committee consists of UWC alumni, education professionals, and community leaders. Unfortunately, some countries don’t have committees. Instead, there are selection contacts.

If you are a candidate for the IB Diploma Program then contact the UWC National Committee in their country. You can find your National Committee by selecting your country in the list.

For more information, Armenian students must visit the Armenian National Committee website. Students can apply directly to the UWC if there is no UWC National Committee in their country of citizenship.

It is important to realize that the creation of such kind of institutions is vital. All things considered, Dilijan UWC school will continue to grow in future. It is equally important to know that this school gives a huge knowledge. Obviously, every teen deserves to study here. However, not all pass the selection process. After all, you shouldn’t be in despair. So try again.

Must be remembered that the committee pays attention to the recommendations, self-description, reference of the applicant.  Another key point is the good performance at the interview.

Article UWC Dilijan is the first on iArmenia: Armenian History, Holidays, Sights, Events.

It is a place where thousands of students from ages 12 to 18 have the chance to enhance their mental abilities. TUMO gives teenagers the necessary knowledge and skills needed to be successful in this digital world. They use the latest digital tools. Skilled media professionals educate the students.

Tumo Center for Creative Technologies

The center gives teens an opportunity to see how tech and art merge miraculously. Community events give students a chance to apply their knowledge and skills to the world around them.

Sam Simonyan

Sam and Sylva Simonian founded TUMO. They fully fund its educational program through the Simonian Educational Foundation.  The Simonians also actively participate in Tumo’s operations. Sam lends his knowledge on technology. Meanwhile, his wife, Sylva, contributes to the center’s engagement with the environment and the program syllabus as well.

It is free of charge after-school learning center. TUMO tops the list of ten best innovative schools worldwide. It leaves behind such educational institutions as the Silicon Valley AltSchool, Fuji Kindergarten in Tokyo and the Steve Jobs Schools. French magazine We Demain made up the list.

The first TUMO center opened its doors in Yerevan on August 14, 2011. An open-air concert took place featuring   Serj Tankian and the Dorians.

See Serj Tankian’s ‘Uneducated Democracy’ made by a group of 14 to 18-year-olds at the TUMO Center.

See the Behind The Scenes as well! Very interesting and rather fun to watch. Young Armenian animators did a pretty good job!

Tumo’s Board of Advisors

source: Wikipedia

Tumo’s board of advisors consists of professionals from North America and Armenia. They have industry experience across the center’s core focus areas.

Board of Advisors ↓

• Michael Aram
• Vahe Berberian
• Arman Davtyan
• Raffi Krikorian
• Roger Kupelian
• Pegor Papazian
• Dr.Debra Porch
• Katherine Sarafian
• Alex Seropian
• Serj Tankian

The center has a state-of-the-art digital technology, staffed by professional educators. It has been providing art, technology, and media. The center also has trained more than 6,000 teenagers aged 12 to 18, as stated above.

The most important thing is that the teens gain a lot of experience. They do it while working on real-life projects.

One of the most astonishing things about the center is that you can immediately feel the creative atmosphere once you get there.

The aura of TUMO transforms regular teens into curious and inquisitive minds like a miracle.

How does the learning system work?

Students at Tumo get their knowledge and skills highly based on their individual preferences.

The four main focus areas are animation, game development filmmaking, and web design.

 Tumo Center for Creative Technologies: Workshops

source: Tumo

Animation

1. The first level of Animation provides teens with basic principles like squash and stretch, timing and spacing. They practice the fundamentals of creating weight and flexibility as well. They end the workshop by creating an animation of a bouncing character of their own design.
2. The second level gives the students the opportunity to expand on what they learned in the first level. They explore new skills such as how to create arcs and animation circles. The teens end the workshop with an animation of a walking character that they design.
3. The third level gathers all the knowledge and the skills the students learned in the first two levels. They utilize the main principles of animation along with the traditional animation workflow to learn about body mechanics in animation. In level three, the students practice how to show weight in motion. They learn about the fundamentals of character performance. Students also learn how to use body language to tell a story.

Game Development

1. In the first level of game development, students learn the basics of level design and game development steps using the base of Unity Engine. Students get acquainted with the Unity Interface and with the tools available in the editor. After that, teens learn how to import and manipulate game assets, create materials, add components and lights, and create prefabs.
2. In the second level, students study the core fundamentals for scripting in Unity. It includes creating and manipulating variables and understanding the different types of operators. Teens also learn how to create instructions for game objects with the help of functions. Also, they jump into creating logic with conditional statements, loops, and basic arrays.
3. The final level of game development helps students to focus on how to program playable characters, AI enemies and game logic. Then they freely use that cumulative knowledge to create a third person stealth game.

Filmmaking

1. The first level introduces the students to story structure and also familiarizes them with characters of well-known films. They also gain first-hand experience in understanding the most necessary aspects of writing a movie screenplay by writing their own. During the workshop, teens learn about the unique formatting of a screenplay and the software used to write it. When they end the workshop, teens already have an understanding of the foundations of narrative filmmaking.
2. In the second level of filmmaking, teens work in small groups to shoot 1-3 minute movies together. To do this, they go through the entire process of film production, i.e. script writing, storyboard development, shooting and editing with the Adobe Premiere CS5.5 program.
3. During the final level, workshop participants use the skills and knowledge gained throughout the previous workshops and work individually to create their self-made short movies, covering all the stages of the filmmaking process.

Web Development

However, students are encouraged to uncover all of these four areas. As they go through the syllabus, they keep completing challenging projects that get harder each time. Students then choose one area. After which they start to direct all their concentration exactly on that one area. They work hard for completing the final project at the end of a two-year cycle.

Also, Tumo curriculum also covers a set of supporting technical, artistic and professional skills. These include computer programming, 3D modeling, 2D graphics, drawing, music, writing, online literacy, and communication.

Tumo students create their individual learning plans. They complete various tutorials, exercises, and projects. Learning Coaches continuously support the students. They guide them through the learning process.

The learning system of TUMO works very well and helps teens expand their learning horizons.

Workshops

source: Tumo

Tumo members have access to various workshops in the four focus areas anytime. They also have access to the supporting technical, artistic and professional skills. Workshops range from the beginner to the advanced.

Learning Labs

source: Tumo

The learning experience at Tumo is punctuated by a variety of ad hoc events. They are both internal and open to the public. These are designed to stimulate, challenge and inspire members. Tumo hosts some exhibitions throughout the year and invites specialists to give lectures on topics related to the Tumo curriculum.

General Information About The Center

Tumo members have over 450 computer workstations to work with. They are packed with industry standard software. There are over 100 iPads and other mobile devices. There are 3D printers, musical keyboards,  photo and video cameras as well.

You can find Tumo in one of Yerevan’s largest green areas, Tumanyan Park. It is also maintained and managed by Tumo.

There are a large variety of sports and recreational facilities in the park. For instance, a basketball court and a football field.

The Tumo Plaza is a unique and advanced outdoor space. It is made up of big surfaces in triangle forms. It has a reflective pool, a large historical fountain that has lots of LED lights. There is also a playful pop-up fountain. Tumo Plaza is a link between the Tumo building and the Tumanyan Park.

Other TUMO branches in Armenia

In January 2013, Tumo opened another free of charge program in Dilijan, Armenia. The Central Bank of Armenia supported it.

Similarly, students in Dilijan have four main focus areas. As a reminder, the main areas are animation, game development, filmmaking and web development. There are 29 workstations. About 300 teenagers both from Dilijan and other regions take part in the program.

You can see the neighboring army base from the window of Tumo Dilijan. If you look from that same window, you will see how the young 18 to 20-year-old Armenian soldiers file in formation to the center. While they’re defending the country, they’re also learning other important 21st century skills.

For Armenian soldiers, taking part in the TUMO Army program is a full-time commitment. They participate in various workshops every month.

source: Tumo blog

Another Tumo center opened its doors in the second largest Armenian city Gyumri in May 2015.

The center cooperates with the Armenian General Benevolent Union.

Thousands of teenagers have the opportunity to learn many useful skills. Students are equipped with a broader outlook, advanced experience, and an extensive portfolio.

With the support of Karabakh Telecom, the newest Tumo branch opened in Stepanakert in the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is important to mention that the center opened due to the partnership between the Simonian Educational Foundation and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).

500 to 1,000 students will participate in the program twice a week. Also, each session takes two hours. The students will learn about animation, filmmaking, web development and game development. They will also study many other skills such as 3D modeling, computer programming, music, photography and graphic design.

It is expected to spread Tumo to other locations in Armenia and beyond Armenia too.

Also, see Michael He’s Video about Tumo Center for Creative Technologies:

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