Chess master Arianne Bo Caoili — gone too soon

Chess master Arianne Bo Caoili died of injuries from a car accident. FILE PHOTO

Arianne Bo Caoili, 33, a Filipina chess master, has died after being involved in a car accident March 15 in Yerevan, Armenia.  She underwent several operations before passing away on March 30.

Her husband, Levon Aronian, the top-ranked chess player in Armenia and No. 7 worldwide, confirmed the news on his Twitter account.

“I have no words to express the grievance over my wife Arianne’s death. She was intelligent, hardworking and joyous person that lived a beautiful life,” he said.

Arianne started as a brilliant chess player, winning both the London Chess Classic Women’s Invitational tournament and the Oceania Women’s Zonal Championship in 2009. She was awarded the title Women’s International Master (WIM) by the World Chess Federation, the game’s governing body.

Born on Dec. 22, 1986, in Manila and the second daughter of a Dutch mother, Annette, and a Filipino father, Arnold Caoili, then Philippine Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Arianne moved with her family to Australia in 1989.

She learned chess at age six and went on to win her first major title at age 14, placing first in the Asian girls under-16 championship in Bagac, Philippines in 2000.

She played seven times in the Chess Olympiad, the game’s pre-eminent international team event, representing the Philippines in 1998 and 2000. She represented Australia for five years.

In 1996 Arianne met Armenian Grand Master, Levon Aronian, at the World Youth Chess Championship in Las Palmas, Spain. She moved to Armenia in 2013 where, three years after, they got married.

In a country where chess was a national obsession, the wedding of this glamour couple was a much celebrated and attended by the who’s who in politics and chess world. Among their 300 guests were then President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan and his first lady, who also stood as one of their principal sponsors.

International economist

Arianne had a wealth of accomplishments she had garnered early on.  She had a doctorate degree in Russian foreign policy, with concentration on its economic and business relations with Armenia.

After her work as consultant at Price Waterhouse Coopers, she founded the global strategy consulting firm Akron, which specialized in public policy, economics and sovereign wealth. As its managing director, she was sought out for advice by international leaders.

At 29, she co-founded, Champord, a free weekly newspaper for commuters in Yerevan.

”Dancing with the Stars”

Arianne was as multi-talented as she was highly intelligent. She was fluent in several languages. She did mountain climbing, boxing and cycling. She became more widely known in Australia when she performed and won second place in the country’s version of “Dancing with the Stars.” She recorded an Extended Play (EP) in Australia and owned a jazz club in Yerevan.

In 2018, Arianne donated $6,100to the Children of Armenia Fund which builds schools, where chess is now taught. The amount was raised by riding a bicycle through approximately 2,000 kms in two weeks from Ayas, Turkey to Agarak, a village on the Armenian-Iranian border.

National Treasure

Within a few hours of the tweet her husband sent out on March 30th, several thousand tweet responses came back, expressing shock and grief over the sudden and unexpected demise of someone so young, so accomplished and so full of life and promise of an even brighter future.

Arianne she also left behind her parents, sisters Rachel C. Cairns (and infant nephew, Jackson), Dr. Arrene C. Santos (and nieces Hannah & Sarah), brother Arshin, aunt, Judy Caoili-Agno, uncle, Dr. Henry Echiverri and several cousins.

Arianne Bo Caoili was the star who was trailblazing under our community’s radar. She was a national treasure in Armenia, where she was loved and where she held her own beside her famous husband, tagged as Armenia’s David Beckham.