Levon Aronian: I miss my friends and our mountains

ABCmedia spoke with Levon Aronian, the winner of the 2024 American Cup, the former leader of the Armenian national team, three-time Chess Olympiad champion in the Armenian national team, and the fourth highest-rated chess player in history. Last week, the Armenian chess player notched up victory in the 2024 American Cup, going undefeated in 19 matches and defeating such notable players as World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, World No. 8 Wesley So, whom Levon met in the final.  

– Levon, this has been your first major victory away from your homeland, what did it feel like?

– In fact, it was not the first victory, because I also won the Premier Tournament in 2023. In general, in such cases, when the player’s ranking drops, he/she starts to experience a lack of confidence, thinking that he/she may have become weaker. But before this tournament, I played in Germany, and I did it quite successfully, so I was not facing that lack of confidence this time.

– What do you miss the most about Armenia?

– I miss my friends and our mountains the most.

– What should we expect from Levon Aronian next? What tournament are you going to get ready for and what is your next goal?

– There are no tournaments to be held in the near future. With regard to goals, I need to practice, work on refining my style, because this tournament showed that when I play aggressively, it pays off. I should work in that direction. There are going to be many championships in the autumn.

Interview by Vardan Papikyan