Aronian, according to our annotator this week, IM Jack Peters, won a tense game after an unpromising start. Leko later complimented Lev on his “strong nerves.”
Nalchik was Aronian’s second Grand Prix tournament. He has won both to join the leaders in the overall standings. His rivals, Peters notes, have already played in three or four tournaments. “If the World Chess Federation completes the full cycle of six tournaments, the points leader will earn a bonus of 75,000 euros (about $100,000). The fifth Grand Prix is scheduled for August in Armenia.”
Currently ranked number six in the world, Armenia’s top player learned to play chess when he was nine years old. In 1994, he won the World Under-12 Championship ahead of future top 10 players Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Grischuk and Etienne Bacrot. He became a grandmaster in 2001 and the world junior champion in 2002, scoring 10/13 in the finals.
His other notable wins include first at the Gibraltar Masters in 2005 and clear first at the Karabakh International in the same year. He capped 2005 by winning the FIDE World Cup without loss of a single game. He was first in Linares 2006, thumped Svidler in the Chess960 World Championship, shared first place in the Tal Memorial and started off 2007 with a joint victory at Corus.
In 2007 he qualified for a world championship final by defeating Carlsen and Shirov in two matches. In the eight-player FIDE World Championship Tournament in Mexico City, however, he ended up in joint sixth place. Last year, Aronian once again topped Corus sharing first place with Carlsen. He also won the Melody Amber blindfold/rapid tournament and the Karen Asrian Memorial rapid chess tournament.
Levon’s style has been described as uncompromising, cool, calm and deadly.
Game of the week. Here he is in the game that gave him the top prize in Nalchik.
White: GM Levon Aronian (2754)
Black: GM Peter Leko (2751)
FIDE Grand Prix, Nalchik 2009
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 Rubinstein’s system against the Nimzo-Indian Defense. 0-0 5 Bd3 d5 6 Nf3 c5 7 0-0 dxc4 8 Bxc4 Nbd7 One of several ways to saddle White with an isolated d-pawn. 9 Qe2 b6 10 Rd1 Preparing d4-d5. cxd4 11 exd4 The only ambitious move. Bxc3 Safer than 11…Bb7, which permits unfathomable complications beginning 12 d5 Bxc3 13 dxe6. 12 bxc3 Bb7 13 Bb3 Usually White prefers 13 Bd3. Qc7 14 c4 Rfe8 15 Bb2 White has a small advantage. His Bishops support the “hanging pawns” at c4 and d4. Qf4 16 Qe3 Qf5 17 Ne1?! Correct is 17 Ne5, keeping the edge if Black simplifies by 17…Nxe5 18 dxe5 Ng4 19 Qg3. b5! 18 c5 Nd5 Blockade! 19 Qg3 Nf4 20 Rd2 Nf6 21 f3 N6h5 22 Qf2 Bd5 Black has taken the initiative, making Aronian’s dream of a tournament-clinching win seem far-fetched. 23 Bc2 Qg5 24 Kh1 Bc4 25 g3 Ng6?! Black starts to drift. Simply 25…Nd5 retains equality. 26 Ng2 Bd5 27 Ne3 Nf6 28 h4 Qh5 29 Nxd5 Nxd5? Leaving the Queen stranded at h5. There is little danger after 29…Qxd5. 30 Re1 Red8 31 Rde2 Rab8 32 Bc1! Targeting the Queen. The first threat is 33 Bg5 f6 34 g4. h6 33 Kg2 Nc3 34 Re5! Nxe5 35 Rxe5 f5 36 Bb3 Nd5 37 Rxe6 White’s passed pawns and his reawakened Bishops are too strong for Black’s Rook and Knight. Kh8 38 Qe1 Next Qe1-e5 will dislodge the blockading Knight. Nf6 39 Qe5 Re8 40 c6 Rbc8 Black can set a trap with 40…a6 41 d5 Rxe6 42 Qxb8+ Re8 43 c7 Kh7, hoping for 44 c8Q?? Re2+ 45 Kg1 Qxf3. But White wins with 44 Bd1. 41 Qxb5 Qg6 42 h5 Or simply 42 Bf4. Qxh5 43 Bf4 a6 44 Qxa6 Nh7 45 c7 Ng5 46 Rxe8+ As 46…Rxe8 47 Bxg5 hxg5 48 c8Q ends Black’s counterattack. Qxe8 47 d5 Ra8 48 Qc4 Kh7 49 d6 Qe1 50 Qf1 Prudent, although 50 d7 Nh3!? won’t save Black if White finds 51 Qd4! Nxf4+ 52 gxf4 Ra6 53 Bg8+ Kh8 54 Bf7. Qe8 51 Qd3 Qd7 52 Qc4 Qe8 53 Bxg5 hxg5 54 Qg8+, Black Resigns.
Puzzler.
White — Qc2, Nd3, pawn on d5, Bd6, Re7, Kh3
Black — Bb2, Qc3, Re4, Nf3, Kh8, pawns on d7, f4
White to play and mate in two.
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