Andranik Matikozyan

A native of Armenia, International Master Andranik Matikozyan now lives in Los Angeles and has lived in the U.S. for nearly 15 years. His first visit was to play in the New York Open in 1998, and he soon after moved to L.A. The city has a large Armenian community, important to Matikozyan because he enjoys spending time with his many family and friends.

Two of his favorite tournaments include the 2004 U.S. Open in Fort Lauderdale in which he won first place, and an Armenian championship in 1999 in which Matikozyan didn’t play well -- but considered it a great experience because he got to compete against several Armenian Grandmasters.  Though he is here to participate in the 2014 Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis Invitational event, Matikozyan only occasionally participates in tournaments and hasn’t played much in the last two years because of time constraints. He coaches chess, however, teaching in a club and giving private lessons, as well.   

“[The CCSCSL Invitational] has good competition, so I decided to come to St. Louis and play,” he says. “I really like the Club.”

Matikozyan started playing chess when he was seven years old, in Armenia, and has played for 28 years. His father taught him the basic chess moves, and when he saw his son’s talent and interest in the game, he began taking Andranik to chess clubs. Matikozyan has two Grandmaster norms and needs one more to earn the elite title.