SAO PAULO, Brazil (A.W.)—Grandmaster Krikor Sevag Mekhitarian won Brazil’s chess championship, held from Feb. 25-March. 6 here in São Paulo.

Mekhitarian secured the title with seven wins, three draws, and one loss, finishing the championship with 8.5/11 points.

A Brazilian Armenian, Mekhitarian scored a draw followed by a defeat in the first two rounds of the championship, only to pick himself up and not lose a single match in the following nine rounds.

International Master Barbosa Evandro Amorim and Mendonça Mateus Nakajo both secured eight points and came second and third respectively.

Mekhitarian was born in São Paulo in 1986. He learned playing chess from his father at the age of six. He won Brazil’s junior (U20) championship twice, in 2003 and 2004. He became a Grandmaster—the highest title in chess—in 2010.