2013 World Chess Champion Grandmaster (GM) Magnus Carlsen (Norway), who tops the World Chess Federation (FIDE) rankings, will pay a visit to Armenia between June 22 and 24.

Carlsen will be in Armenia at the invitation of the Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation and Acronis Company.

In capital city Yerevan, the World No. 1 chess player will be hosted by GM Levon Aronian, who is second in the FIDE rankings and who plays first board for the three-time World Chess Olympiad champions and the former World Team Chess champions Armenia.

Within the framework of the visit, several well-known representatives of the information technology (IT) sector likewise will arrive in Yerevan, the IDeA Foundation press service informed.  

The guests will pay a visit to the medieval Tatev Monastery and get familiarized with the projects which the IDeA Foundation is carrying out at Tatev. 

In addition, GMs Aronian and Carlsen will play a simultaneous chess game on twenty boards, prizes will be awarded to the best competitors.

Along the lines of the visit, meetings are also slated with Armenia’s senior state and religious officials, and IT and chess representatives.