GM Manuel Petrosyan and untitled Anahit Mkrtchyan emerged victorious at the Armenian National Chess Championships. Petrosyan captured his second national title, while Mkrtchyan claimed her first. Both earned the right to represent Armenia in international team competitions.
The 86th Armenian Chess Championship and the 81st Armenian Women’s Chess Championship where held simultaneously at the Tigran Petrosyan Chess House-Sports School in Yerevan from January 13-21, 2026. Both competitions were 10-player round-robins with classical time control.
The Open Championship was fiercely contested – so much so that no player completed the tournament undefeated. Entering the final round, GM Manuel Petrosyan, IM Artur Davtyan, and GM Zaven Andriasian were tied for the lead with 5/8. In the decisive round, both Davtyan and Andriasian drew their games, while Petrosyan secured a crucial victory over IM Arsen Davtyan to clinch the title.
Davtyan, Andriasian, and GM Aram Hakobyan finished on 5.5/9, a half-point behind the champion tying for second place.
Based on tie-breaks, Davtyan took silver, while Andriasian completed the podium with bronze.
86th Armenian Championship – Final Standings
The Women’s Championship developed into an exciting duel between Anahit Mkrtchyan (pictured below, right) and WFM Astghik Hakobyan. Both players surged ahead early, but Hakobyan gained the upper hand by defeating Mkrtchyan in their Round 6 encounter, taking sole lead. However, a late collapse derailed her campaign: Astghik lost two her final games and had to settle for silver with 6/9.
Mkrtchyan drew both of her final two games, which proved sufficient to claim gold with 6.5/9.
WFM Sona Krkyasharyan, Ani Avetisyan, and WFM Anna Khachatryan scored 5.5 points and tied for third place. Based on tie-breaks, WFM Sona Krkyasharyan was awarded the bronze medal.
81st Armenian Women’s Chess Championship – Final Standings
Photos: Armenian Chess Federation