<http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/11/the-lion-and-the-tiger/>Link
--Posted By johannes to <http://www.monochrom.at/english/2009/11/armenia-excels-at-chess-lion-and-tiger.htm>monochrom at 11/26/2009 06:04:00 PM
Armenia excels at chess. Its top player now has a shot at becoming
world champion. How did this tiny country become a giant at the game?
Levon Aronian likes to sleep late. But at 11am on a weekday in August
this year, his dreams were disturbed by what sounded like people
chanting his name. In a semi-conscious state he got up, looked out of
the window and saw a large group of people outside where he was
staying. "You must win for Armenia!" shouted the crowd. They were
there because in his native country, Levon Aronian is a megastar. He
is 27 years old, charming, handsome, wealthy and the best in his
nation at chess. And his countrymen take chess very seriously. The
patriotic zeal focused on him during the August tournament was more
intense than usual. If Aronian did well, he might one day become
world champion.
