Levon Aronian

American GM

“It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. But I saw the situation this way: the attitude toward chess in Armenia has cooled, chess is no longer perceived as a national sport.

And if I allowed myself to be treated like an ordinary athlete who hasn’t achieved anything, I would have endangered the entire field.

If you treat me badly and if my opinion in this field means nothing to you, then we have nothing more to talk about.

Will I return to the Armenian national team? This is turning into Santa Barbara. Everything I needed to prove to myself and my friends, I have already proven. I have always considered myself Armenian, and I saw the meaning of my life as being useful to my people and changing the perception of us as a weak nation. We are not weak — we are strong.”