Levon Aronian after his win

Aronian Wins Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Tournament

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LOUIS, Mi. (Chessbase) — Levon Aronian emerged as the winner of the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz leg of the Grand Chess Tour on August 16, after a tumultuous day of blitz games here at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The day almost belonged to the wildcard participant from China, Yu Yangyi, who excelled and barely missed tying for the title — which would have forced an eagerly awaited tiebreak match — as well as winning the blitz tournament. The day was disappointing for the overnight leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and for World Champion Magnus Carlsen, as they could score only 4 and 4½ points respectively.

To keep things in perspective, there was almost no one who managed to score heavily on the last day, with Yu (6 points out of the final nine rounds) the top scorer of the day, followed by Levon Aronian, Ding Liren and Sergey Karjakin with 5 points each. It underscores the tough level of this tournament, as well as the great battles seen throughout.

 

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