Defeating MAGNUS at 42 and flagging HIKARU | Levon Aronian PODCAST
Description
Nepo's course on the King’s Gambit: http://go.chess.com/nepokingsgambit
Anish Giri’s course on the French Defence: http://go.chess.com/girisfrenchdefense
Sam Shankland’s Chess Calculation WorkBook: http://go.chess.com/shanklandsworkbook
Today’s guest is the legendary Levon Aronian — at 42, still one of the world’s strongest players. We discuss his recent Freestyle Chess success and strong run at the Esports World Cup. We dig into his vision for chess, why some top GMs are stepping away from Freestyle Chess, and what rules he’d change in Chess960. Levon shares concrete prep insights and his views on Gukesh’s future, whether Magnus returns to classical, and Alireza’s #1 potential. Watch till the end — blitz included.
Levon's X: https://x.com/LevAronian
Levon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levonaronian
Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus
00:00 — Intro
01:12 — Esports World Cup: how it felt
02:14 — Hikaru tried to flag Levon — unethical?
04:49 — Will OTB lose to esports?
09:00 — Freestyle chess — Levon’s dream?
11:55 — Chess960 rules should change
13:55 — Chess960 prep — how?
15:03 — How many Chess960 positions have you analyzed?
16:41 — Can Anish learn all 960?
17:57 — Has Magnus studied 960?
18:31 — Chess960 improves you
19:40 — Unlearn classical rules in 960
23:10 — Will Chess960 replace classical?
25:14 — Why Gukesh struggles in 960
25:57 — Blitz/Rapid prep vs classical
27:25 — How Levon prepares for events
28:40 — What’s behind your recent success?
31:23 — Is Candidates a goal?
33:37 — Gukesh: rising or falling?
36:11 — Why isn’t Alireza #1 yet?
37:15 — How Levon keeps improving
39:06 — Will Magnus return to classical?
40:20 — Blitz against Levon
Defeating MAGNUS at 42 and flagging HIKARU | Levon Aronian PODCAST
Levon Aronian
Levon Aronian podcast
Levon Aronian interview
Levon Aronian chess
Levon Aronian Freestyle Chess
Fischer Random chess
Esports World Cup chess
Levon at Esports World Cup
esports chess vs OTB
OTB vs esports chess
Blitz vs classical preparation
rapid vs classical prep
chess preparation insights
Levon on Magnus Carlsen
Levon on Alireza Firouzja
Levon on Gukesh
will Magnus return to classical
Gukesh future
how to prepare for Chess960
unlearning classical rules in 960
Hikaru tried to flag Levon
staying elite in chess at 42
mustreader
greg mustreader
mustreader chess
cwm
My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play).
I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
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