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Armenia: the cleverest nation on earth

Armenia has won the last two chess Olympics. Assignment investigates why the country is so good at the game.

Armenia - a tiny, poor country of around three million people - has won the chess Olympics twice in a row.

In so doing, it has triumphed over giants like Russia, China and the US.

Chess is pursued fanatically in many parts of the world, but nowhere more so than Armenia, where its over-the-board stars have become national celebrities.

But how has little Armenia created a nation of chess geniuses - is there something in the water? Assignment investigates.

Available now

25 minutes

Last on

Sun 18 Oct 2009 09:05GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 15 Oct 2009 08:05GMT
  • Thu 15 Oct 2009 12:05GMT
  • Thu 15 Oct 2009 19:05GMT
  • Fri 16 Oct 2009 00:05GMT
  • Sun 18 Oct 2009 09:05GMT

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