Levon Aronyan, the Armenian grandmaster representing the U.S., has declared his triumph in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour among the most significant achievements of his career.
"This is one of the biggest wins of my life—undoubtedly the biggest considering the prize fund," Aronian said, as reported by Panorama.am , citing freestyle-chess.com.
"I’m extremely happy and grateful for this opportunity," noted the 42-year-old grandmaster.
Aronian won the Fischer Random Chess event, Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, which featured a prize pool of $200,000. During the tournament, he secured impressive victories against formidable opponents including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, and Hans Moke Niemann.
In the final held on July 20, Aronian defeated Hans Moke Niemann, who had delivered a strong performance throughout the competition.
"I was quite relaxed," Aronian said, reflecting on his match against the 22-year-old American player, whom he jokingly called “Professor” at the start of the tournament.
"You know, you make it to the final—it’s not that important. The tournament was a success, so I felt calm and just wanted to play and enjoy myself. After some recent disappointing results, I needed to bounce back and show that I can compete and perform well," he added.
Aronian is a two-time FIDE World Cup winner and ranks fourth in chess history by highest rating ever achieved.
A key factor in his recent success, he said, was having his family with him in Las Vegas during the tournament.
"My wife, my daughter, and my whole family were here with me every day, and it’s thanks to them that I find the strength to compete. They bring me joy, and I feel happy. I’m very thankful, and it’s a great honor to have them by my side—they’re wonderful people," Aronian said.
Aronian is a two-time FIDE World Cup champion and ranks fourth in history by peak rating.
