A Victorious Knight

28 Jan. 2008
Washington Post, United States

Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia won the elite Corus grandmaster tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, yesterday with an 8-5 score. They edged world champion Vishy Anand of India and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan by a half point.

A Victorious Knight

It is Carlsen's best result of his young career, and the 17-year-old Norwegian made it to the top with a roller-coaster finish. Being in the lead, he lost to Anand but recovered by beating former world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia. In the dynamic English Hedgehog, Carlsen outplayed his opponent mixing tactics with a positional squeeze. The most remarkable piece in that game was Carlsen's king's knight, circling the board until it finally sealed Kramnik's fate.

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Sergei Movsesian of Slovakia won the Corus B-group with a 9 1/2 -3 1/2 score and will play in the top group next year. Fabiano Caruana, the 15-year-old Italian champion who grew up in the United States, dominated the C-group with a 10-3 score. Ljubomir Ljubojevic of Serbia prevailed at the tournament of veteran grandmasters with a 4-2 score.

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Drama in Yerevan – Aronian wins Rapid match 4:2

07.05.2007
ChessBase

World Champion Vladimir Kramnik was trailing by two points, and on the final day he almost pulled off an historic save. In both games he had a forced mate on the board, and in both cases, plagued by time constraints, he went on to almost lose the game. The two draws left Levon Aronian, Armenia's great treasure, with a 4:2 victory. Illustrated report with analysis.

The Aronian-Kramnik Rapid Chess Match took place in Yerevan, Armenia, from May 4th to 6th, 2007. It went over six games, played at the rate of 25 min for the entire game with a increment of 10 seconds per move.
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Levon Aronian defeated the World Champion Vladimir Kramnik 4-2 in a fine display of active play, tactics, and execution. After losing the first game, the young Armenian reeled off three wins in a row, and then held a dramatic game 5 draw to win the match. Kramnik is known to be an excellent rapid chess player, armed with fantastic opening knowledge as well as vast match experience. However, playing on his home soil, it was Aronian who appeared to be directing the style – and outcome – of the match.

The fireworks lasted throughout the three-day match. Even during game six, with the match outcome no longer in question, the packed Opera House spectators sat on the edge of their seats (or in the aisles, on the handrails, or on each other) fascinated by the final moves which were blitzed out until the final draw was agreed.

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Yerevan shocker: Aronian wins both games against Kramnik

06.05.2007
ChessBase News

The rapid chess match in Yerevan is turning into the proverbial slugfest. After winning game two the Armenian star Levon Aronian won the next two games as well (when is the last time that Vladimir Kramnik lost three in a row?) to take a commanding lead. He only needs a draw in the final two games to clinch victory. Draws in this match so far: zero. Express report.

The Aronian-Kramnik Rapid Chess Match takes place in Yerevan, Armenia, from May 4th to 6th, 2007. I goes over six games, played at the rate of 25 min for the entire game with a increment of 10 seconds per move. The match will be played over three days, in the Yerevan Opera House, with the games beginning at 18:00 hrs and 19:45 hrs local time (GMT + 4). That is 15:00h CEST, 14:00h London and 09:00 a.m. New York for the first game; 16:45h, 15:45h and 10:45 a.m. for the second. Click on the Yerevan times above to get your own local time.

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Petrosian wins

Wednesday, 7 March 2007
The Statesman

KOLKATA, March 6: Grand Master Tigran Petrosian of Armenia drew with GM Dimitri Komarov of the Ukraine to win the Kolkata Open Grand Master Chess tournament and pocket Rs 2,07,000, organised by the Alekhine Chess Club here today.

He however had to wait anxiously for the second board game between Darmen Sadvakasov of Kazakhstan and Alon Greenfeld of Israel to be completed, to assure himself of the sole first prize.

The overnight leader Petrosian took a lightning eight move draw in order to assure himself of at least a share of the top prize.


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