RIVAL POLITICAL CAMPS UNITE OVER CHESSBOARD

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001254

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL AM
SUBJECT: RIVAL POLITICAL CAMPS UNITE OVER CHESSBOARD



1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


2. (U) The current National Assembly (NA) marked its
first anniversary May 26 with a chess tournament
featuring international grandmaster Smbat Lputyan who
played against 14 MPs and NA staffers. Each party
faction, including the opposition Justice bloc,
nominated two players for the tournament. Coalition
and opposition MPs proudly posed with Lputyan in front
of the cameras and seemed more than eager to skip
debates over the few draft laws that were on May 26
parliamentary agenda. Eventually NA Speaker
Baghdasaryan dragged the players and their numerous
fans into the session hall for a quick 5-minute
parliamentary vote. In the end, the grandmaster won
eleven and played three games to a draw. End Summary.

--------------
NA ANNIVERSARY MARKED BY CHESS TOURNAMENT
--------------


3. (SBU) The third convocation of the Armenian National
Assembly completed its first legislative year on May

26. To mark the anniversary, MP Hranush Hakobian,
chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Culture,
Education, Youth and Sport, invited international
grandmaster Smbat Lputyan for a chess tournament with
legislators and parliamentary staffers. Each party
faction nominated two MPs and/or staffers for the game;
MPs Aram Sargsyan, chairman of Democratic Party, and
Viktor Dalakyan represented the opposition Justice
bloc. (Note: Although the opposition Justice bloc
continues to boycott National Assembly sessions, they
were out in force for the exhibition chess tournament.
End Note.) MP Ashot Aghababian, who owns the lucrative
Hrazdan retail market, donated 30 chessboards to NA for
the game. Supporting teams of MPs, visitors, and the
media had lots of fun while Lputyan simultaneously
played against his 14 opponents.


4. (U) Both the coalition and opposition chess players
fully supported each other at the tournament.
Throughout the game, numerous chess fans commented
irreverantly on every move on the board, served
generous amounts of coffee to compensate for, as they
put it, the "unusual mental overload" for MPs, and
vigilantly prevented one of the players from swiping a
chess piece as a souvenir. In his turn, head of the
governing coalition's Republican faction Galust
Sahakian said in an interview that if the opposition
won the chess game then they could ask for anything,
including a vote of confidence.


5. (SBU) Absorbed by the game, coalition MPs were more
than reluctant to get back to their legislative
activities and debate a few drafts that were on May 26
parliamentary agenda. NA Speaker Baghdasaryan
literally dragged the coalition MPs into the session
hall, promising that the vote would take "only five
minutes." Meanwhile, opposition MPs Sargsyan and
Dalakyan used the continuing opposition parliamentary
boycott to their advantage and kept playing. In the
end, however, none of the MPs was able to defeat the
grandmaster: out of 14 games, Lputyan won 11 outright
and played 3 to a draw.
ORDWAY