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YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS: Days ago the Armenian national chess team added to the series of its achievements another title – Bronze medalist title in the World Team Cup. One of the most promising Armenian chess players, Hrant Melkumyan, celebrated his debut as a part of the team. The later amazed not only the chess fans but also emerged the admiration of the experts due to his successful games and recorded results. Armenpress talked to Hrant Melkumyan and summed up the passed World Team Cup and touched upon the future plans.
- The World Team Cup is already a history and summing it up, tell, please, what it has given to you?
- The World Team Cup is my first tournament as a part of the team and the Bronze medalist title – certainly, the first title of mine. In this sense, I am, surely, very happy and proud. The team has reached quite a lot of successes, but in any case, the Bronze, taken in the World Team Cup, is a success, I guess. This Bronze is a solid step for the launch.
- During the World Cup, it was due to your successful games against the United States and India that our team won. Was the sense of responsibility big?
- Certainly, when it became known that everything depended on my game, I was much tensed, as I realized that any mistake of mine may deprive the team of the victory. As my position was favorable in both cases and I knew quite well that I had good chances to win, it doubled my tension. And when the game was over, I was very happy.
- Chess in Armenia is more than just sports. What do you think, why?
- I think that everything is connected with the chess traditions. We had a world champion Tigran Petrosian, Rafael Vahanyan, who also was one of the bests in the world. The victories of our team, Levon Aronian – all this promotes the popularity of chess. Also the fact that our nation is a nation of intellectuals. The popularity of chess in us testifies that we, the Armenians, are a thinking nation. (THE FULL VERSION OF THE INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)