Aronian takes WR Master
When Levon Aronian made a quick draw against co-leader Dommaraju Gukesh in the final round of the WR Chess Masters, it seemed like an uncharacteristically timid move for the Armenian grandmaster, who’s long been known as one of the most creative and aggressive players on the tour. But it was all part of his strategy: after that quiet interlude, the lover of classical music brought it to a crescendo in the rapid tiebreaker, where he blasted Gukesh and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who also joined the tie for first, in three straight games to crown tournament victory.
Aronian got off to a fast start with four points in the first five rounds. With a full point lead on the field, he seemed to be in cruise control going into round seven with White against Nepomniachtchi. Given the tournament situation, Aronian could be content with a draw, and Nepomniachtchi had drawn all of his previous six games. Saving energy (and opening prep) for his upcoming World Championship match against Ding Liren, you might think, but in fact he had been playing fighting chess and the draws were more a coincidence than anything. Nonetheless, Aronian went for a fairly tame variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and when the players started repeating moves, a draw seemed to be in the offing. But then things took a strange turn.
Aronian tried to claim a draw by threefold repetition, but Nepomniachtchi put up two fingers, and the arbiter confirmed the position on the board had only happened twice. The false claim seemed to have the same effect on Nepomniachtchi as waving a red cape in front of a bull, as he spurned the repetition and launched his kingside pawns forward. In the press conference he explained his reasoning:
“If he wants a draw that badly then I should push him.”
Objectively, Aronian’s position was not worse, but he started to go wrong, and then blundered a piece to a tactic. Nepomniachtchi finished off the game precisely and with the full point, he was only half a point behind Aronian. Also in round seven, Gukesh beat Esipenko with the Black pieces, to move into a tie for first with 4.5 points. Suddenly, it was anyone’s tournament.
When Levon Aronian made a quick draw against co-leader Dommaraju Gukesh in the final round of the WR Chess Masters, it seemed like an uncharacteristically timid move for the Armenian grandmaster, who’s long been known as one of the most creative and aggressive players on the tour. But it was all part of his strategy: after that quiet interlude, the lover of classical music brought it to a crescendo in the rapid tiebreaker, where he blasted Gukesh and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who also joined the tie for first, in three straight games to crown tournament victory.
Aronian got off to a fast start with four points in the first five rounds. With a full point lead on the field, he seemed to be in cruise control going into round seven with White against Nepomniachtchi. Given the tournament situation, Aronian could be content with a draw, and Nepomniachtchi had drawn all of his previous six games. Saving energy (and opening prep) for his upcoming World Championship match against Ding Liren, you might think, but in fact he had been playing fighting chess and the draws were more a coincidence than anything. Nonetheless, Aronian went for a fairly tame variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and when the players started repeating moves, a draw seemed to be in the offing. But then things took a strange turn.
Aronian tried to claim a draw by threefold repetition, but Nepomniachtchi put up two fingers, and the arbiter confirmed the position on the board had only happened twice. The false claim seemed to have the same effect on Nepomniachtchi as waving a red cape in front of a bull, as he spurned the repetition and launched his kingside pawns forward. In the press conference he explained his reasoning:
“If he wants a draw that badly then I should push him.”
Objectively, Aronian’s position was not worse, but he started to go wrong, and then blundered a piece to a tactic. Nepomniachtchi finished off the game precisely and with the full point, he was only half a point behind Aronian. Also in round seven, Gukesh beat Esipenko with the Black pieces, to move into a tie for first with 4.5 points. Suddenly, it was anyone’s tournament.
This was the first ever WR Masters, a new entry into top-level tournaments. The organizers struck a nice balance between familiar faces and up-and-coming stars. There was certainly plenty of drama, with several comebacks and finally the rapid tiebreaker.
For the moment, the story at the top level of chess is all about parity. Apart from Magnus Carlsen, no one has been able to consistently find separation from the pack. It seems as though anyone from the top group can win a tournament if they’re in good form and can catch a few breaks. Anish Giri, who won the previous super tournament, Tata Steel Masters, but found himself tied for last this time, said, “I don’t think anybody is better than anybody else at this point.”
The younger generation, led by Gukesh in this event, seems to have drawn themselves equal to the veterans without surpassing them. Aronian showed that the old dogs still have some bite left in them as well. When asked by ChessBase India to comment on his feelings after winning the tournament, the always witty Aronian responded, “I highly recommend it.”