On December 21, the 9th annual chess tournament was held at the With the Blessing prelacy on the occasion of the feast of the Armenian Patriarch and First Believer King, Saint Abgar. The program is being implemented with the support and blessing of the Vicar of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, His Eminence Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan.
This tournament, which has been implemented since 2013, is an initiative of the members of the youth unions of the diocese, which is brought to life under the leadership of the Coordinator of the Youth Structures of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, His Eminence Rev. Fr. Petros Malyan. The program has been suspended since 2020. This was the first game after the war.
According to the rules of the tournament, 2 rounds were planned. 50 participants from different age groups were registered. In the first round, priests, soldiers, colonels, students of the diocese's Theological Seminary, young people from the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, the Artsakh Diocese, and the National Leadership Institute, students from the diocese's Sunday schools and Yerevan chess schools competed against each other.
In the second round, the Vice President of the Chess Federation of Armenia, International Master Norayr Kalantaryan and International Grandmaster Hovik Hayrapetyan played a simultaneous chess game with the winners. The tournament was conducted by international referees Norayr Hovhannisyan and Vardan Melkonyan.
Although two rounds were planned, the referees decided that the best players had the opportunity to participate in the third round.
At the end of the games, one victory was recorded over the grandmasters. Mikael Darbinyan, a representative of the National Leadership Institute, defeated International Grandmaster Norayr Kalantaryan in a difficult fight.
At the end, Father Petros Malyan, senior priest, on behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, presented letters of appreciation to all participants, a certificate of honor to the winner, and presented the grandmasters and judges with books and souvenirs from the "Book of Tragedy" of St. Gregory Narekatsi.