Armenian chess grandmaster wins FIDE World Chess Cup in Tbilisi

Levon Aronian, an Armenian chess grandmaster, won the FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs/World Chess Federation) World Chess Cup 2017.

“I participated in the World Chess Cup tournaments on a number of occasions. I knew that I would win it by all means. It was very hard, there was a great deal of pressure, but I managed to overcome it. The rapid and blitz games turned out to be extremely complicated,” the chess grandmaster told journalists after winning the tournament.

The Armenian grandmaster is the only chess player in the world who managed to win the FIDE World Chess Cup twice, with the first time being in 2005. This victory allows him to participate in the FIDE World Chess Championship Candidates’ Tournament in Berlin which will take place in March 2018.

According to Aronian, the secret of his success lies in the confidence that people around him have towards him.

‘Once I came home and Arianne [Aronian’s fiancé, Arianne Caoili, an Australian chess player] told me: ‘You should do it.’ Many things have changed after that,” the chess player admitted. He dedicated his victory to his fiancé.

“I’m very proud of him. When he was playing against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, my heart stopped beating from excitement. I’m extremely proud of him. Nobody knows what challenges he has had to overcome to achieve success,” Arianne Caoili told journalists.

Aronian is a three-time winner of the FIDE World Chess Olympiads as part of Armenia’s national team (in 2006, 2008 and 2012), as well as a winner of the 2010 World Blitz Championship. He has been ranked 4^th  (2,802 points) in the FIDE’s latest rating.