Levon Aronian

Levon Aronian

Aronian at the 2011 European Team Chess Championships in Athens
Full name Levon Grigori Aronian
Country Armenia
Born (1982-10-06) 6 October 1982
Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster
FIDE rating 2784 (May 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

In March 2006, Aronian took sole first place at the annual Linares chess tournament, half a point ahead of Teimour Radjabov and FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov. He achieved unexpected victory by easily beating a somewhat demoralised Peter Leko with the black pieces in the final round. Aronian was ranked fifth in the world by FIDE at the time and had just won one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world he was considered an underdog in. This triumph, along with winning the World Cup last year, are considered the events that consolidated the young Aronian's place as one of the leading Grandmasters in the world.[20] In 2006 he also tied for first in the Tal Memorial. The April–July 2006 FIDE rating list ranked Aronian the number three player in the world.[21] Armenia won its first ever Chess Olympiad at the 37th Chess Olympiad. Aronian played on board one for the Olympiad. The Armenia national chess team won gold ahead of China and the United States.[22]

2007

Aronian playing Magnus Carlsen at Linares 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Team competitions

Levon Aronian
Medal record
Representing  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.[64] 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.[65] 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,[66] 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.[67] 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.)[68]
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[69] which earned him a rematch with Svidler in 2006, and won the match this time 5–3 to become Chess960 World Champion.[70]

In 2007 he successfully defended his title of Chess960 World Champion by beating Viswanathan Anand.[71] He lost the title in 2009 to Hikaru Nakamura.[72]

Playing style

Viswanathan Anand called Aronian "a very gifted tactician",[73] and said that "He's always looking for various little tricks to solve technical tasks."[74] 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."[75]

As white, Aronian plays mainly 1.d4.[76] According to Anand, "Though he opens with 1.d4, he treats these positions like an e4-player."[73] Aronian is an expert in the Marshall Attack.[77]

Internet Chess Club

Aronian's handle on the Internet Chess Club (ICC) is "L-Aronian".[78]

Personal life

Levon has been dating Australian Woman International Master Arianne Caoili since the end of 2009.[79][80] They both first met at the 1996 World Youth Chess Championships in Las Palmas and became friends in 2006 when their mutual friend International Master Alex Wohl introduced them in Berlin.[81]

His mother Seda Aronova published a book about her son on 22 November 2013, recounting her memories of Levon's childhood and accomplishments.[82]

Aronian is a jazz fan. His favorite musician is John Coltrane.[81]

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:[83]

Ivan Sokolov vs. Levon Aronian, Turin 2006 Chess Olympiad;[84] Nimzo–Indian Defence (ECO E35)
[Analysis by A. J. Goldsby][85]
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

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  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.
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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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