Melikset Khachiyan ( hy, Մելիքսեթ Խաչիյան; born 6 July 1970 in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
) is an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
who now resides in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Khachiyan began playing chess at the age of eight. Two years later he won the
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
Junior Championship. When he was twelve he became a Soviet candidate master. Among his own early coaches was the 9th World Champion, Tigran Petrosian. Also, such great coaches as ''Aleksander S Nikitin'' and
Alexander Shakarov
Alexander Shakarov (born 8 March 1948 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR) is a Soviet-Azerbaijani chess player, coach and author of Armenian descent.
He is best known for being Garry Kasparov's coach from 1976 to 2005.
He competed at the Chess Olympiad of 1996, at the
World Team Chess Championship
The World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent. It is played every two years. In chess, this tournament and the Chess Olympiads ...
of 1997, where the Armenia national chess team won bronze, their first World Team Championship medal, and at the European Chess Club Cup of 1997.
He was the first coach of
Levon Aronian
Levon Grigori Aronian ( hy, Լևոն Գրիգորի Արոնյան, Levon Grigori Aronyan; born 6 October 1982) is an Armenians, Armenian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, who currently plays for the United States Chess Federation. A ches ...
. Currently, he is the coach of
Samuel Sevian
Samuel Sevian (born December 26, 2000) is an American chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned the grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 10 months and 27 days, making him the youngest ever American Grandmaster at the time. He also br ...