Levon Aronian Signs Up for Miami Showdown Ahead of Olympiad

Levon Aronian Signs Up for Miami Showdown Ahead of Olympiad

Levon Aronian, the world No 17, will be part of the USA team in a rapid and blitz match against Uzbekistan in Miami on 27-28 July, a preview of the Olympiad top prize battle. The event will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15-27 September.

What happened?

The USA and Uzbekistan teams will face each other in a Scheveningen format match, with the USA team featuring the world Nos 2 and 3, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, plus the world No 7, Wesley So, and Levon Aronian. Uzbekistan will include the world Nos 4 and 6, Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the world No 39, Nodirbek Yakubboev, the world No 62, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, and the world No 132, Mukhiddin Madaminov.

Why it matters for Levon Aronian

Levon Aronian's participation in the match is significant, as it will give him valuable experience ahead of the Olympiad. The USA team, winners of six Olympiad gold medals, has an average age of 38, while their opponents clock in at just 21. This age difference could be a factor in the match.

What comes next?

The match will be held in Miami on 27-28 July, with the event taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 15-27 September. The USA team will be looking to gain an edge over their opponents, while Levon Aronian will be hoping to make a strong impression.

The Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters, an elite classical GM single round all-play-all, began on Thursday morning in Chennai, India. Seven of the eight competitors are rated above Fide 2700. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who will be competing in the Miami match, is cutting it fine, with only one day between Chennai and Miami.

Round one results: Abdusattorov 0.5 Niemann, Arjun Erigaisi (India) 0.5 Dmitry Andreikin (Fide/Russia), Pranesh Munirethinam (India) 0-1 Alireza Firouzja (France), Gukesh Dommaraju (India) 0.5 Nihal Sarin (India). Games are viewable on lichess starting at 10am BST.

In other news, Supratit Banerjee advanced closer to a record-breaking international master title at age 12 when the Sutton grammar pupil achieved his second IM norm last week at an invitational event in Sheffield. Banerjee now needs just one more IM norm, plus a 2400+ published rating, to become one of the world's youngest IMs. He is already the world's highest rated player born in 2014.

category: match_report