The Guardian reflects on Levon Aronian’s impressive performance at the Tata Steel Wijk

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. The world No2, Levon Aronian, looks poised to win at Tata Steel Wijk this weekend. The Guardian stated this in a recent article dedicated to the leader of the Armenian Men’s Chess Team Levon Aronian. “Armenpress” News Agency introduces the prominent British periodical’s article about the Armenian GM in its entirety:

“The Armenian has led all the way and is one and a half points clear going into the final two rounds which will be shown free and live online.

Aronian's rival Hikaru Nakamura, the US No1, had a dreadful first half at the Dutch elite event and struggled to reach an even score. He has now dropped to No7 in the rankings while Aronian, though still 50 rating points behind Norway's world champion, Magnus Carlsen, has soared 40 rating points clear of the chasing pack.

Aronian, 31, is the favourite to win the eight-player world title candidates, scheduled for Russia in March, which will decide who will challenge Carlsen for the crown in a multi-million dollar series in November this year.

The problem is that Aronian's track record in the final stages of world title competition is fragile enough to suggest that the pressure and tension of the occasion get to him. He finished next to last in the 2006 world championship tournament in Mexico, was knocked out in the candidates quarter-finals when favourite in 2011 and had a poor run in the London 2013 candidates which left him unable to catch Carlsen. It is starting to be reminiscent of Paul Keres, the Estonian who had near misses in five successive candidates events and is now considered by his admirers as the best player never to be world champion.

Aronian is a national hero in Armenia, where chess is taught in schools and where the presidential jet brought its gold medal Olympiad team back to Erevan. He is also a well-liked cosmopolitan, speaking excellent English, with a home in Germany and an Australian girlfriend. If he can overcome his candidates block, he can give Carlsen a hard fight.

After winning this week's game at Wijk Aronian said that White's opening is his favourite method to counter Black's popular Grunfeld Defence Nf6, Bg7 and d5. The stand-out feature of his system is that White starts 1 c4, delays d2-d4 for a long time, then aims for a small but nagging endgame edge.

The opening up to move 11 had been played earlier by his Armenian team-mate Vlad Akopian, so Aronian knew it well. His young Filipino opponent slipped by 17...Bxf3? (better bxc5! when 18 Rxc3? fails to Rxb1!) after which White's bishop pair dominated the board and Black's army got in a tangle. So lost a piece and resigned early rather than play out a routine ending.”