Levon Aronian agrees to participate in Azeri-hosted World Chess Cup

October 21, 2014 - 18:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Grandmaster Levon Aronian agreed to participate in Azeri-hosted World Cup in 2015.

The news was reported after FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s visit to Yerevan. The grandmaster announced his desicion during an official dinner hosted by Armenian leader, chess federation president Serzh Sargsyan, Ilyumzhinov’s assistant Berik Balgabayev said in his Twitter post.

Earlier, Ilyumzhinov announced plans to discuss the matter with Sargsyan.

Armenian sportsmen’s participation at Baku-hosted tournaments has always abounded in unpleasant incidents and concerns over the delegation’s safety. In 2012, Aronian addressed a letter to Ilyumzhinov explaining his refusal to participate in Baku-hosted Candidates Tournament.

“General atmosphere in Azerbaijan and continuous tensions between our countries make my participation in such high ranked tournament in Azerbaijan impossible. A responsible and important event, such as the Candidates Tournament, requires peace of mind and special concentration. No circumstances, if they are not chess-related, should prevent the grandmaster from demonstrating all of his skills. Unfortunately, at this moment no Armenian can find favorable or adequate psychological atmosphere in Azerbaijan, whereas that is something absolutely necessary,” the Armenian grandmaster’s letter said at the time.