Levon Aronian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Levon Aronian |
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Aronian in 2023
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| Full name | Levon Grigori Aronian |
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| Born | 6 October 1982 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (2000) |
| FIDE rating | 2773 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2830 (March 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 5 (July 2021) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 2012) |
Levon Grigori Aronian (Armenian: Լևոն Գրիգորի Արոնյան, romanized: Levon Grigori Aronyan; born 6 October 1982) is a famous Armenian chess grandmaster. He has represented the United States in chess since 2021. Levon was a chess prodigy, meaning he was incredibly talented at a young age. He earned the top title of grandmaster in 2000 when he was just 17 years old.
Aronian has won many important chess tournaments. He was a world champion in both rapid and blitz chess. His highest classical chess ranking was No. 2 in the world in March 2014. At that time, his rating was 2830, making him one of the highest-rated players in chess history.
He won the FIDE World Cup twice, in 2005 and 2017. Levon also led the Armenian national team to win gold medals at the Chess Olympiads in 2006, 2008, and 2012. He also helped Armenia win the World Team Chess Championship in 2011.
Levon Aronian has been the top Armenian chess player for many years. People in Armenia see him as a hero. He was named Armenia's best sportsman in 2005. In 2016, CNN even called him the "David Beckham of chess." In 2021, Aronian decided to play for the United States. He said this was because chess in Armenia was not getting enough support from the government.
Early Life and Chess Beginnings
Levon Aronian was born on October 6, 1982, in Yerevan, Armenia. At that time, Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. His mother, Seda Avagyan, was a mining engineer. His father, Grigory Leontievich Aronov, was a physicist.
Levon learned to play chess from his older sister, Lilit, when he was nine years old. He showed great talent early on. In 1994, he won the World Youth Chess Championship for players under 12. He beat many future chess stars in that tournament. His permanent coach since 2011 has been Ashot Nadanian. Aronian also has a diploma from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture.
A Champion's Chess Career
Starting Strong: 2001–2005
In 2001, Aronian performed well at the Cappelle-la-Grande Open tournament. A few months later, he won the Young Masters tournament in Lausanne. In 2002, he won the Armenian Chess Championship. That same year, he became the World Junior Champion.
Aronian played in his first FIDE World Chess Championship in 2004. He won against a young Magnus Carlsen in the first round. He reached the third round before being eliminated. In 2005, Aronian became one of the top ten chess players in the world. He won the World Cup in Russia that year.
Rising to the Top: 2006–2008
In March 2006, Aronian won the famous Linares chess tournament. He finished ahead of the then-World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov. By April 2006, he was ranked the third-highest player in the world. Armenia also won its first-ever Chess Olympiad gold medal in 2006, with Aronian as a key player.
In 2007, Aronian shared first place at the Corus chess tournament. He also defeated World Champion Vladimir Kramnik in a rapid chess match. His World Cup win in 2005 helped him qualify for the World Chess Championship 2007. He finished seventh in that championship.
In 2008, Aronian won the Corus chess tournament again, sharing first place with Magnus Carlsen. He also won the Melody Amber tournament, which combines blindfold and rapid chess. Aronian helped the Armenian team win their second consecutive gold medal at the 38th Chess Olympiad in Dresden.
Continued Success: 2009–2012
Aronian won the Fourth FIDE Grand Prix in 2009. This helped him qualify for the Candidates tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012. In August 2009, he won the World Rapid Chess Championship. He also won the Bilbao Chess Masters Final in September 2009.
In November 2010, he shared first place at the Mikhail Tal Memorial. He also won the World Blitz Chess Championship in Moscow that year. In January 2012, Aronian won the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the Netherlands. He finished ahead of top players like Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Later in 2012, he won the SportAccord World Mind Games, a blindfold tournament.
Later Career Highlights: 2013–2025
In 2013, Aronian finished second at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. He also won the Alekhine Memorial tournament. In 2015, he won the 3rd Sinquefield Cup, which helped him get back into the world's top 10 players. He also helped his team, Siberia Novosibirsk, win the European Chess Club Cup.
In April 2017, Levon Aronian won the Grenke Chess Classic in Germany. He won the Norway Chess Tournament in June 2017, beating top players like Magnus Carlsen. In September 2017, Aronian won the World Cup again. This win qualified him for the Candidates Tournament for the 2018 World Chess Championship.
In January 2018, Aronian won the Gibraltar Chess Festival. In August 2018, he tied for first place at the Sinquefield Cup with Carlsen and Caruana. In August 2019, Aronian won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament for the second time. He also won the Superbet Rapid & Blitz tournament in Bucharest in November 2019.
In 2021, Aronian won the Goldmoney Asian Rapid chess tournament. He also won the blitz portion of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament. In 2022, he finished second in the American Cup. He also tied for first in the Superbet Chess Classic. In February 2023, he won the WR Chess Masters in Düsseldorf. In June-July 2023, he was part of the team that won the first Global Chess League in Dubai. In March 2024, Levon won The American Cup in St. Louis, Missouri.
In July 2025, Aronian won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas. He defeated top players like Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura on his way to victory.
Playing for Teams
Levon Aronian has played for Armenia in many Chess Olympiads. He helped his team win bronze in 2004 and gold medals in 2006, 2008, and 2012. He also won individual medals for his performance on the chess board. Aronian was part of the Armenian team that won the gold medal at the World Team Chess Championship in 2011 and 2013. In 2024, Aronian played for the USA in the Chess Olympiad and won a Silver medal.
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Chess Ratings and Achievements
Aronian reached a chess rating of 2801 in November 2010. This made him one of only a few players to ever cross the 2800 rating mark. In March 2014, he reached his highest rating of 2830. This is the fourth-highest rating ever achieved by a chess player.
Chess960 Champion
Chess960 is a fun version of chess where the starting position of the pieces is shuffled. In 2005, Aronian won the Finet Chess960 open tournament. This led to a match against the Chess960 World Champion Peter Svidler in 2006. Aronian won that match and became the Chess960 World Champion.
In 2007, he successfully defended his title by beating Viswanathan Anand. He lost the title in 2009 to Hikaru Nakamura. In 2025, Aronian won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. This was his first major Chess960 title since 2006.
Levon Aronian's Playing Style
Other chess grandmasters have described Aronian's playing style. Viswanathan Anand called him a "very gifted tactician." This means Aronian is good at finding clever moves to win. He is always looking for new ways to solve problems in a game.
Boris Gelfand said Aronian is "the most striking player around." He noted Aronian's high creativity in both the opening and middle parts of a game. Alexei Shirov mentioned that Aronian has an "ultra-aggressive style." He achieves this because of his amazing intuition in sharp, complicated positions.
Sergey Karjakin compared Aronian's style to famous football player Lionel Messi. This shows how unique and exciting Aronian's play can be. When playing as White, Aronian often starts with the move 1. d4. He is also an expert in a chess opening called the Marshall Attack.
Chess School and Personal Life
In 2012, Levon Aronian and Gabriel Sargissian started a chess school in Yerevan. This school helps talented young chess players from 10 to 18 years old learn and improve.
Aronian is a big fan of jazz music. His favorite musician is John Coltrane. He also enjoys classical composers like Bach and Mahler.
Levon Aronian married Filipino-Australian chess player Arianne Caoili in 2017. They had met at a chess championship in 1996. Sadly, Arianne passed away in 2020 after a car accident. In 2021, Aronian moved to the USA and now lives in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2023, Aronian married Anita Ayvazyan. They have a daughter named Zabelle, who was born in 2022.
Images for kids
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Aronian playing Magnus Carlsen at Linares 2007
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Levon Aronian vs Vladimir Kramnik at the Candidates Tournament 2018
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Levon Aronian (3rd right) with his 2008 Olympiad teammates on a 2009 stamp of Armenia
See also
In Spanish: Levon Aronian para niños
