GMGabriel Sargissian

Gabriel Sargissian learned chess from his grandfather in Yerevan at six. He won the world under-14 title in 1996 and European under-16 title in 1998. He became a grandmaster in 2002, between Armenian championship victories in 2000 and 2003. He won at Reykjavik and shared first place in Dubai in 2006. The following year he scored 6½/7 at the Ruy López Festival in Zafra, finishing two and a half points clear of the field. He also won or shared first place at the Chicago Open in 2009, 2012 and 2014. With Armenia, he won Olympiad gold in 2006, 2008 and 2012. He also helped win the 2011 World Team Championship. At the 2022 Olympiad he played first board for Armenia's silver-medal team. Beyond competition, he and Levon Aronian founded a chess school in Yerevan in 2012 for talented young players. His national honors include the Movses Khorenatsi medal and Order of Honor.