Levon Aronian

Levon Aronian

Aronian at the 2011 European Team Chess Championships in Athens
Country Armenia
Born (1982-10-06) 6 October 1982
Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster
FIDE rating 2780 (February 2016)
Peak rating 2830 (March 2014)
Ranking No. 4 (January 2016)
Peak ranking No. 2 (January 2012)
Official Web Site
Web address www.levonaronian.com
Available in Armenian, English, Russian, Spanish
Launched 11 February 2015 (2015-02-11)

Levon Grigori Aronian (Armenian: Լևոն Գրիգորի Արոնյան; born 6 October 1982) is an Armenian chess Grandmaster. On the March 2014 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2830,[1] making him the fourth highest rated player in history.

Aronian won the Chess World Cup 2005. He led the Armenian national team to the Gold medals in the 2006 (Turin), 2008 (Dresden) and 2012 (Istanbul) Chess Olympics[2] and at the World Team Chess Championship in Ningbo 2011. He won the FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010, qualifying him for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012, where he was knocked out in the first round. He was also World Chess960 Champion in 2006 and 2007, World Rapid Chess Champion in 2009, and World Blitz Chess Champion in 2010. In 2015, he won the 3rd Annual Sinquefield Cup.

Aronian has been the leading Armenian chess player since the early 2000s.[3] His popularity in Armenia has led to him being called a celebrity,[4] and a hero.[5] He was named the best sportsman of Armenia in 2005[6] and was awarded the title of Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Armenia in 2009.

Early life and education

Aronian was born on 6 October 1982 in Yerevan, Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union), to Seda Aronova-Avagyan,[7] an Armenian mining engineer, and Grigory Leontievich Aronov,[8] a Jewish physicist.[9] Talking about his background, Aronian stated in an interview, "I feel much more Armenian than Jewish, although there are sides to me which are more Jewish culturally, involving the arts and music."[8]

He was taught to play chess by his sister, Lilit, at the age of nine. His first coach was the Grandmaster Melikset Khachiyan. An early sign of his ability came when he won the 1994 World Youth Chess Championship (under-12) in Szeged with 8/9, ahead of future luminaries Étienne Bacrot, Ruslan Ponomariov, Francisco Vallejo Pons, and Alexander Grischuk.[10]

Aronian holds a diploma from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture.[11]

Career

2001–04

2005

2006

2007

Aronian playing Magnus Carlsen at Linares 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Team competitions

Levon Aronian
Medal record
Competitor for  Armenia
Chess Olympiad
Turin 2006 Open
Dresden 2008 Open
Istanbul 2012 Open
Calvià 2004 Open

Aronian played for Armenia in the Chess Olympiads of 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.[48] He took team bronze medal in 2004 and team gold medal in 2006, 2008 and 2012. In the 2010 Chess Olympiad he won the silver medal for his individual performance on board one.[49] In the 2012 Chess Olympiad Aronian won the gold medal on board one. Aronian was a member of the gold-medal winning Armenian team at the World Team Chess Championship in 2011,[50] where he won the silver medal on board one. Aronian again competed for Armenia in the 2013 World Team Chess Championship, where he won the gold medal on board one.

Elo rating

Aronian broke the 2800 rating barrier in the November 2010 FIDE world ranking with a rating of 2801.[51] He is the sixth player to cross the 2800 rating mark, after Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Veselin Topalov, and Magnus Carlsen.

Head-to-head record versus selected grandmasters

(Rapid, blitz and blindfold games not included; listed as +wins −losses =draws as of 18 November 2015.)[52]
Players who have been World Champion in boldface

Chess960

Aronian at Mainz 2009

In 2003 Aronian won the Finet Chess960 open at Mainz; this qualified him for a match against Chess960 World Champion Peter Svidler at Mainz the following year, a match which he lost 4½–3½. He won the Finet Chess960 open tournament again in 2005[54] which earned him a rematch with Svidler in 2006, and won the match this time 5–3 to become Chess960 World Champion.[55]

In 2007 he successfully defended his title of Chess960 World Champion by beating Viswanathan Anand.[56] He lost the title in 2009 to Hikaru Nakamura.[57]

Playing style

Viswanathan Anand called Aronian "a very gifted tactician",[58] and said that "He's always looking for various little tricks to solve technical tasks."[59] In 2011, Boris Gelfand described Aronian as "the most striking player around, with the highest creative level, in terms both of openings and original ideas in the middlegame."[60]

As white, Aronian plays mainly 1.d4.[61] According to Anand, "Though he opens with 1.d4, he treats these positions like an e4-player."[58] Aronian is an expert in the Marshall Attack.[62]

Internet Chess Club

Aronian's handle on the Internet Chess Club (ICC) is "L-Aronian".[63]

Personal life

Aronian has been in a relationship with Australian Woman International Master Arianne Caoili since 2008.[64][65]

Results Timeline for Chess World Cup

Year200520072009201120132015
Chess World Cup W 4R A A 3R ??

Notable games

abcdefgh
8
e8 black king
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
f6 black queen
h6 black pawn
a5 black bishop
c5 black rook
d5 black pawn
f5 black bishop
g5 black pawn
b4 white pawn
e4 black knight
a3 white pawn
g3 white bishop
a2 white rook
e2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 17.Qa1

Aronian, as Black, defeats GM Ivan Sokolov (2676) in 19 moves, using 10½ minutes on his clock:[66]

Ivan Sokolov vs. Levon Aronian, Turin 2006 Chess Olympiad;[67] Nimzo–Indian Defence (ECO E35)
[Analysis by A. J. Goldsby][68]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5!? 7. dxc5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 10. Bxb8!?

10.e3; 10.Be5

10... Qf6!

10...Rxb8?? 11.Qa4+ +−

11. Bg3 Nxc3 12. a3 Bf5! 13. Qd2 Ba5 14. b4? Ne4 15. Qc1 Rc8!! 16. Ra2?! Rxc5 17. Qa1 (see diagram) Qc6!

The threat of back-rank mate is crushing.

18. Qe5+ Kd8 19. Qxh8+ Kd7 0–1

If 20.e3, 20...Rc1+ 21.Ke2 Bg4+! and 22...Qc4#

References

  1. "Top 100 Players May 2012". FIDE. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  2. Bartelski, Wojciech. "Men's Chess Olympiads: Levon Aronian". OlimpBase. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  3. Scimia, Edward. "World Championship Candidate Levon Aronian". about.com. Retrieved 23 June 2014. ...for the last decade [...] leading Armenia to victory in team competition and being constantly in the World Championship discussion.
  4. "Players 2013". Norway Chess. Retrieved 23 June 2014. Aronian is a major celebrity in his chess-loving home country.
  5. Davies, Caroline; Pein, Malcolm (7 June 2006). "Pawn queens". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2013. And Mr Aronian enjoys a similar level of hero-worship to, say, David Beckham.
  6. "Aronian Presented World Cup to Armenian Community of Khanty-Mansiysk". Armtown.com. 22 December 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  7. "Լեւոն Արոնյանի մոր գիրքը՝ որդու մասին [Levon Aronian's mother's book about his son]". Aravot. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. ...շախմատիստի մայրն է՝ մասնագիտությամբ լեռնային ինժեներ Սեդա Արոնովա-Ավագյանը:
  8. 1 2 Lawson, Dominic (11 March 2014). "Armenian Exceptionalism". Standpoint. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  9. Edmonds, David (8 December 2009). "The lion and the tiger". Prospect Magazine. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  10. "KC-Conference with Levon Aronian Part 2". Crestbook. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  11. "Reflections on the book "Levon Aronian"" (PDF). Noyan Tapan. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2014. a graduate of the Chess Department of the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture (later Levon Aronian himself graduated from that higher educational institution)
  12. "The chess games of Levon Aronian". ChessGames.com. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  13. Oganessian, Gaguik. "All Champions of Armenia". Armchess. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  14. "41st World Junior Ch January 2003 India". FIDE. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  15. "FIDE WCC R3-2 Another favorite exits". ChessBase.com. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  16. Crowther, Mark (7 February 2005). "The Week in Chess 535". London Chess Center. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  17. "The Week in Chess". Chesscenter. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  18. "World Chess Cup 2005 Results". FIDE. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  19. "Corus Chess Tournament – Grandmaster A April 2007 Netherlands". FIDE. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  20. Drama in Yerevan – Aronian wins Rapid match 4:2, Chessbase, 7 May 2007
  21. "WCCTournament 2007. Mexico City – Results and Pairings". Chess.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  22. Wijk R13: Aronian, Carlsen win Wijk aan Zee 2008, Chessbase, 27 January 2008
  23. Melody Amber: Aronian wins with 2½ point lead, Chessbase, 27 March 2008
  24. "Karen Asrian Memorial (2008)". ChessGames.com. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  25. Crowther, Mark (12 September 2009). "TWIC: 2nd Bilbao Masters 2009". London Chess Centre. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  26. "Chess Classic: Aronian wins final in smooth style". ChessBase News. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  27. "Kramnik: I am counting on regaining the world title". Chessbase. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  28. "High Titles of Olympic Champions". Armchess. 19 December 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  29. "Chess Classic Mainz – Kamsky wins with 10.0/11 points". Chessbase. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  30. "39th Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk 2010, Open tournament, Board-prizes". Chess Results. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  31. "Tal Memorial Aronian and Karjakin win the title". ChessBase. 14 November 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  32. "Aronian wins World Blitz Championship". ChessBase News. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  33. "The Week in Chess: 73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2011". Chess. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  34. "Amber 2011: Aronian claims third Amber victory in farewell edition". ChessBase News. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  35. Nandanan, Hari Hara (26 March 2011). "Armenian threat for Anand now". India Times. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  36. "Carlsen catches Aronian in last round, wins Tal Memorial on tiebreak". ChessVibes. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  37. "Participants – Tata Steel Chess". Tata steel chess. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  38. "Levon Aronian Wins Tata Steel 2012". Chessdom. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  39. "Wijk aan Zee Rd13 Aronian is sole winner!". ChessBase News. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  40. "Carlsen wins 4th London Chess Classic". ChessVibes. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  41. Doggers, Peter (27 January 2013). "Tata R13: Carlsen wins by 1½ points, Naiditsch first on tie-break in B, Brunello clear first in C". ChessVibes. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  42. "Tournament standings". FIDE. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  43. "Aronian and Gelfand win Alekhine Memorial 2013". ChessBase News. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  44. "Bilbao Final Aronian is the victor". ChessBase. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  45. "Standings of Tata Steel Masters". TataSteelChess.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  46. Kavalek, Lubomir Aronian's Chess Comeback Huffington Post. September 6, 2015
  47. Bartelski, Wojciech. "Men's Chess Olympiads: Levon Aronian". OlimpBase. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  48. "2010 Chess Olympiad Statistical overview". ChessBase News. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  49. "World Team Ch. – Armenia gold, China silver, Ukraine bronze". ChessBase News. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  50. "Top 100 Players November 2010 – Archive". FIDE. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  51. "Chess Games". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  52. http://www.chessgames.com/perl/ezsearch.pl?search=anand+vs+aronian. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  53. "Levon Aronian winner of the FiNet CHess960 Open!". Chess Tigers. 12 August 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  54. "Chess Classic Anand and Aronian win Mainz". ChessBase.com. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  55. "Mainz 2007 – Aronian wins Chess960 world championship". ChessBase.com. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  56. "Chess Classic Nakamura wins 960 World Championship". ChessBase.com. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  57. 1 2 "Anand: Every year I keep my fingers crossed". Chessbase News. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  58. "Anand’s WhyChess interview". Chess in translation. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  59. "Boris Gelfand: With shining eyes (Part 2)". WhyChess. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  60. "Chess Opening Explorer". Chessgames. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  61. "Carlsen stops Ivanchuk, Anand held". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  62. "L-Aronian". Internet Chess Club. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  63. 2008 Pearl Spring Chess Tournament, Nanjing, China, Chessbase, 21 December 2008
  64. "I am not so stupid to play against Levon Aronian - Arianne Caoili". news.am. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  65. Krabbé, Tim. "Open chess diary 301–320". Tim Krabbé's Chess Curiosities. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  66. Sokolov–Aronian, Turin 2006
  67. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web archive. 28 October 2009. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Levon Aronian.
Achievements
Preceded by
Viswanathan Anand
World Rapid Chess Champion
2009
Succeeded by
Gata Kamsky
Preceded by
Magnus Carlsen
World Blitz Chess Champion
2010
Succeeded by
Alexander Grischuk
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