[1][2][3] Of Armenian descent, Jirayr Ohanyan Çakır was born in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 5, 1921.
[4] His father Avedis, who was from Merzifon, was the owner of the famous Markiz Bakery and was one of the biggest donors to the Turkish Armed Forces.
[4] Ohanyan Çakır was introduced to chess when he was a student at Galatasaray High School.
Şişli Sports Club experienced its "golden age" during this period in terms of chess.
[4] He traveled to the Chess Olympiad in Tel Aviv in 1964 and captained the Turkish National Team.