LEVON ARONIAN CHAMPION OF “CHESS 960”

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian grand master, the winner of the 2005 World Cup and champion of the 2006 World Chess Olympiad Levon Aronian has become the champion of the “Chess 960” world championship by beating Russian Pyoter Swidler at the last 7th and 8th rounds of the championship which was held in the German town of Mainz.

Chess 960 (originally called Fischer Random Chess) is a chess variant created by grandmaster Bobby Fischer (who was world chess champion from 1972 until 1975). It was originally announced on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fischer’s goal was to create a chess variant in which chess creativity and talent would be more important than memorization and analysis of opening moves. His approach was to create a randomized initial chess position, which would thus make memorizing chess opening move sequences far less helpful.

During the previous championship Pyoter Swidler beat Aronian and became the champion.