LEVON ARONIAN: chess psychology, cheating, Magnus, Kasparov

I've interviewed Levon Aronian and discussed with him the hottest topics in chess, as well as his personal story, books for chess self-improvement, chess psychology, and playing against Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov. At the end, we played a fascinating blitz game. This was recorded in Samarkand at the end of 2023.
My Twitch: / gregmustreader
My Twitter: / mustreader
Levon's Twitter: / levaronian
My podcast with Nepo: • NEPO on cheating, Magn...
My podcast with Fabi: • FABIANO CARUANA: "I co...
DOP: timmmy_photos
00:00 - Intro
2:08 - Tournament in Chennai
5:52 - The future of chess
7:35 - Cheating online
11:33 - Strict anti-cheating measures
15:04 - Zen reaction to cheating
17:45 - Motivation behind cheating
25:12 - Rehab for cheaters
36:01 - Chess and rap battles
37:32 - Levon loves rap
38:10 - Role models
40:10 - Playing against Kasparov and Magnus
45:15 - Relaxation in chess
50:24 - We play blitz
My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts.
In this channel, I interview top chess players (my guests include Nepo, Fabi, Aronian, Dubov and many others - the unreleased podcasts will be published in January-February), 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 30 years old, I have a girlfriend, a dog and two cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese.
Don't forget to subscribe!
#levonaronian #chess #magnuscarlsen

[@MustreaderChess]

How did you like the podcast? I appreciate your comments! Also, check out my recent podcast with Fabi: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z32wgYx8m5acgtEsi=WKMFxExZOqaSjuuX And with Nepo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYiQmmd5haiUldk

[@nicbentulan]

2nd: 2022 WFRCC: Magnus, Hikaru & FIDE cheated Wesley So, who should've been 2020, 2022 & 2024 candidates wildcard because Wesley So won in classical games (45+15=60) while Hikaru won in rapid games (25+5+2.5=32.5min). Source: p1w4Rr-1fL --- That's the summary. The ff is the long version. --- 2 questions Q1 Why isn't it unfair to Wesley So that FIDE lowered the WFRCC time controls from 60min in 2019 to 32.5min in 2022 ( w/o changing the name of course to 'rapid WFRCC'. if they change the name, then there's no problem ) considering the ff things? --- Thing1 In the 2019 WFRCC, Hikaru & Magnus did better in 15+2=17min games than 60min games. Wesley So did better in vice-versa. --- Thing2 Afaik - (0min,10min) = blitz - [10min,60min) = rapid - [60min,120min) = classical but unrated for 2200+ players. - [120min,infinity) = classical Hence, Wesley So should be the CLASSICAL WFRCC and then Hikaru is the rapid WFRCC. Wesley So beat Magnus 3x CLASSICAL games in a row HUMAN VS HUMAN, no computer prep! The last time this happened was Vishy Anand vs Alexei Shirov in 2000 FIDE classical WCC! (Not to be confused w/ 2000 PCA classical WCC where Garry cheated Alexei.) --- Thing3 Yet for some reason FIDE insists that both 32.5min & 60min are 'slow rapid' while 17min is 'fast rapid'. They didn't even define these terms. Check out the maths here: I see only 2 reasonable definitions for slow & fast rapid. -Def1 - Slow rapid means unrated classical [60,120) & fast rapid is rapid [10,60). This means: - There's no classical WFRCC. - Wesley So is slow rapid WFRCC. - Hikaru is fast rapid WFRCC. - Hence, Hikaru is NOT a successor of Wesley So. -Def2 - Fast rapid & slow rapid cut up rapid [10,60) into resp [10,35) and [35,60). 2 issues here: - 60min is not in either of these intervals. - Also, 32.5 is in [10,35). So neither 60 nor 32.5 are slow rapid. Lol. This means: - There's no slow rapid WFRCC. - Wesley So is classical WFRCC. - Hikaru is rapid WFRCC, specifically fast rapid WFRCC. - Hence, again, Hikaru is NOT a successor of Wesley So. - Def3 - The definitions must be: Since 15+2=17 is fast rapid, we must have - [10,X) fast rapid & - [X,120) slow rapid, for some 17 < X < 32.5. Like say X is some arbitrary number like X=20 or X=30. Lol yeah right!! --- Thing4 Conclusion: I believe the 2022 WFRCC was a conspiracy to get Hikaru / Magnus to win in parallel w/ the Hans Niemann situation. Think about this: - Magnus quits the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. 1 day later, Hans Niemann, an American rival of Magnus, is harmed in another tournament, the 2022 CGC in that Hans is removed! - Magnus quits the 2023 WCC. 1 month later, Wesley So, an American rival of Magnus, is harmed in another tournament, the 2022 WFRCC in that the time controls are reduced w/o changing the name! I hardly believe this is a coincidence. I bet Magnus even directed (or conspired w/) FIDE to remove (and hence cheat) Sergey (not American but still Jewish like Hans & Bobby) from the 2022 candidates. Sergey's replacement Liren even cited the ff as role models: Magnus, Garry & Veselin instead of Wesley, Bobby & Vlad ( as described in FlNsFKeq-iE ). Of course there's no conspiracy at all if FIDE just says 'Ok Wesley So is classical WFRCC & Hikaru is rapid WFRCC. Sorry for the confusion!' For chess: The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life. For 9LX: The ability to play 9LX is the sign of a gentleman or a lady. The ability to play 9LX well is the sign that you're not Magnus Carlsen. LOL!!!! --- Q2 Consequently, why shouldn't Wesley So have been a wildcard in 2020, 2022 or 2024 candidates as the 2019 WFRCC winner considering -Fabi was a wildcard in the 2019 WFRCC quarter-finals as the 2018 WCC runner-up, not by FRC virtue -Hikaru & Magnus were 2019 WFRCC quarter & semi-finals wildcards, by FRC virtue for the 2018 unofficial WFRCC but lol the 2018 game itself was obviously for chess virtue ? Well I suppose there's that being good at chess means you'll be good at 9LX but not vice-versa (unless you're Magnus lol)... More info: JxIdCEj6_E8 --- P.S. Wesley So on Lex Fridman xcdhgq P.P.S. Interview while imprisoned p1w4Rr-1Uk Pablo Mercado: So what is your advice to the Filipino chess players? Uncle Bobby Fischer: My advice is to give up chess and take up Fischer Random. - 2004Oct11, 15 years before nephew Wesley So became the inaugural WFRCC in CLASSICAL time controls.

[@markush4072]

Really enjoy those types of podcasts, great questions. Would love to see you post more of those

[@MustreaderChess]

@@markush4072Will do!

[@ASunot]

The list of the books is missing. :)

[@MustreaderChess]

@@ASunot Sorry, forgot about that! It was the "7 chess deadly sins" and books by Dvoretsky and by Gelfand

[@sigmaballz8548]

Levon has such a pleasant personality. Great podcast. Audio quality is consistent in this one compared to the previous one, Keep it up.

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks! I hired a special sound expert to fix the sound in this one

[@oswaldocaminos8431]

​@@MustreaderChessCongratulations

[@richardmnjau]

I really like Levon. And it is true what he says about not being influenced by the ego. Levon is my favourite Super GM due to his warm personality. In 2012 at the London Chess Classic, I said hello to him as he walked out of the Gents. He responded with a nod (as they are not supposed to talk during a game). Then in 2015 at the same event, I asked him to take a photo with me, and he accepted without hesitation. He is down-to-earth, and an amazing player too!

[@patrickstar1164]

Levon is super chill. As a person who shared couple of dinners with him, I need to say that irl he is also chill and down to the earth.

[@alekseykorchin504]

Yet another outstanding video on the channel. Congratulations 👏🏿

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks!

[@absention390]

I love Levon he’s probably one of my favorite grandmasters ever

[@King_Of_Support]

Levon should have a podcast

[@iamjustzach3036]

1:30 levon has been the 960, blitz, and rapid world champion along with winning the world team championship. I know it's not the classical championship, but winning 3 individual world championships is a pretty big deal in any chess format

[@cooloutac]

oh I never knew he won the world rapid championships. very cool.

[@MustreaderChess]

Right, I guess I probably should have said “he’s never been the World classical chess champion”

[@BMac7773]

Great interview, very calm and pleasant conversation.

[@VikasSingh-of1xr]

Really love your work and efforts.. a request from my side... please bring Shasha ( Grishchuk)

[@MustreaderChess]

I’m already in touch with him!

[@ignaciofernandez1343]

These podcasts are amazing! Need more

[@ethan073]

Levon is great, I wish we saw more of him these days!

[@Sazumi575]

Aronian is so smooth

[@inguh7041]

Good podcast. He was really open and honest about instances when he broke the rules and even cheated by today's standards... It's amazing how much a gentleman some of those top guys are... I have a memory how humble Michael Adams was at a tournament, when I (an amateur) cut in front of him to exit the elevator first, perhaps a bit rudely. And HE was Adams not me.

[@SennSaw]

Starting to become my favourite chess channel

[@System.Error.]

he should be playing more in the top arena, unfortunately his rating dropped quite a bit

[@MustreaderChess]

Agreed! We have discussed this on the podcast

[@jyujohnson2360]

@@MustreaderChesstime stamp?

[@Ruslan_Polyakov]

both have great shirts😊

[@jackwilliams7193]

love aronian, really getting into your interviews as well

[@MustreaderChess]

thanks!

[@HotTop-su6lo]

Thank for this interview. I can improve my English skills with you and listen to interesting persons who pass here. Thank you for motivation

[@andreadiotallevi5780]

Class guy - I met him once at the London Chess classic 2015 and shook his hand. He was super nice.

[@kieran1990able]

I always thought he would be world champion challenger. He was very good at his peak and was so consistent. May be the age and circumstances caught him

[@alexortega8846]

My favorite player! Such a nice and interesting person.

[@aradhyagarg1863]

It is 2:15 AM in India currently from where I am typing this message. Absolutely wonderful interview and I enjoyed every bit of it. I have seen all the chess interviews(with Nepo, Caruana and now Aronian). I felt that although cheating is an important topic in chess, I feel it could be minimised as it is taking way too much time discussing an issue that is very unfortunate for the chess world. I feel that the timestamps can be improved. Also, one question I believe you can ask is how do the top players rate the greatest players of all time(which order and most importantly why). Thanks!

[@amun1040]

Levon is the player withwhom I would like to be friends the most out of all chess players. Such a great guy, humble, creative and extermely genuine and pleasant in spite of the hardships he went through. Another great Interview, gregmustreader. Thank you and keep going :)

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks a lot! I agree about Levon, he’s a pleasure to talk to

[@edddo4314]

Abasov. World cup. Always showing up late so less people can see him going through the anti-cheating check. Winning Vidit so smooth... Everybody talks about some online tournaments but THIS is the real case in my opinion.

[@richardlobo88]

I think he got lucky and did most of his luck. Let's see how he performs at the candidates

[@keeskwakman1609]

Do you have the links of the book levon mentions?

[@hansaugustsson7288]

Crazy visuals here: Wallpaper, chairs, shirt, shirt, all strong patterns, overwhelm in my brain. Otherwise, great people, good discussion, thnx!

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks! I didn't know about the wallpaper and setting in advance, otherwise I would have chosen another outfit!

[@frankbrowniii3057]

Thank You Levon for your honesty.

[@Nippleless_Cage]

Great podcast. Bit of feedback for the blitz portion: moving the DGT overlay every time you switch camera angles is disorienting for viewers who are trying to follow the game.

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks, will think about how we can improve nexxt time!

[@MauriceBerisha]

This is the 🍄 trip endboss interview room.

[@stk.synthesis4653]

Always thought levon was one of the most underrated chess players ever

[@u.v.s.5583]

2835 speaks for itself.

[@Sazumi575]

19:08 I really liked his thought on that!

[@zikaperic2133]

looks all those patterns everywhere.... my head is spinning

[@cooloutac]

I disagree with Levon I don't think its mostly old guys cheating lol. I think its the opposite , mostly the kids, the young FM's and IM's. Erik Allebest basically confirmed this to Levitov Chessworld when he said that is who most of the titled players he bans are. I was laughing when Gata Kamsky in TT yesterday got wiped out by a 12 yo 2100 rated FIDE rated blitz player who is rated 2800 online, and he flipped out. lol.

[@rabbitbag9115]

Thank you

[@u.v.s.5583]

Chaotic good = a chaotic evil character who loses interest after putting his adversary in a position where the kill is but a matter of technique.

[@mikeovic11]

Anyone know which line levon is talking about at 4:10

[@MustreaderChess]

The line in the Tarrasch defense where White takes on d5, black takes on d4, you exchange everything and go to an endgame

[@wot_hog]

Levon is a fine gentleman, humble yet strong. An inspiration. Thank you for the wonderful insight into this great chess player.

[@constituionaljustice1467]

Nice guy

[@MrSupernova111]

Classical otb chess isn't going anywhere for many years to come especially with as many cheaters online. I can see time controls shortening but most of us are not rated 2700+ and able to force draws at will. Both classical otb and fischerandom will have their place in the future.

[@kammar9286]

It was an interesting interview, thank you. It's a shame your videos don't have as many views. I would suggest thinking about a new channel photo. Once a viewer sees a random selfie (it's not obvious to everyone that it's Magnus), they may lose interest in clicking.

[@MustreaderChess]

Thanks for the advice! Will think about it!

[@floran20]

Когда услышал про славу КПСС, чуть чай не выплюнул

[@amirovsky2012]

Aronian said that his biggest joy is when he win a lost position game .

[@giggitygoo5623]

When my goal is to obtain my CM title and I see that blitz game and how a super GM can destroy you …. Man that’s disheartening

[@MustreaderChess]

Yeah, the skill gap is huge. Although it was not the game where I got to show my level, blundering a piece so early on 🤷‍♂️

[@angvl8793]

Pro tip: If you want to become a GM, you need to buy shirts like you and Levan are wearing.. XD

[@vseme1572]

Interviewer, "You were already a basic chess player when you read the book you are raving about?" LA nodding wistfully. "Ya, I was a grandmaster."

[@MustreaderChess]

Not really. I said “You were already a professional chess player”, or something like that. Definitely not basic xD

[@flynncook7989]

does aronian prefer TPAB or GKMC?

[@MustreaderChess]

Interesting! I would assume he likes Good Kid Mad City the most

[@gerardramostarres5667]

The set decoration and both outfits are spectcular but a bit disturbing.

[@MustreaderChess]

I didn’t know in advance the room where we would record, otherwise I would have chosen a less colorful shirt xD

[@ritikd225]

I was not expecting a Soviet Joke from a US Grandmaster.

[@MustreaderChess]

He was born and raised in Armenia, which was part of the Soviet Union back then!

[@ritikd225]

@@MustreaderChess i know. The point was "US Grandmaster"

[@seenergynetwork2037]

Aronian might be the only top GM who understands that making a big fuss about online cheating is nonsense. "Take it as a sort of training" is the right attitude to have if you feel you have played against an engine. Online cheating is NOT nearly as prevalent as the hordes of 1000 ELO amateurs scream it is whenever they lose a game -as do their hero GMs-. It has all turned into a grotesque witch hunt, unfortunately led by Kramnik and a bunch of chess streamers. Aronian is also living proof that you don't have to be a competitive egomaniac in order to be a consummate chess artist, one of the very best in history.

[@_Warrior_007_]

👍

[@rusty7760]

Fischer was right about chess

[@tvrskkngdm2333]

Кто-нибудь объяснит смысл софтбоксов в общем кадре?)

[@MustreaderChess]

Please write your comments to this channel in English only. As for your question, it was just a fun idea

[@tvrskkngdm2333]

@@MustreaderChesssue me

[@user-kc6wu2gc2m]

nope, Kramnik was NOT " removed from chesscom"..he was removed from chatting, he still plays there every Tue.. not good to spread incorrect info w/o correction ..unprofessional

[@MustreaderChess]

His blog was removed from ChessCom - I think I used this phrasing, which is factually correct. If not, it could have been a slip of the tongue

[@user-kc6wu2gc2m]

@@MustreaderChess well, technically, you used "Kramnik was removed from ChessCom" - see 7.50 of your clip.. so let's accept "slip of the tongue" ..no more splitting hairs here and thx for clarification.. but the commonly unrecognized issue is, besides the chess and math component, it was not a removal for just "criticizing" as you put it - it's for the way how exactly "the critique" was delivered, and in this case it's borderline libelous.. evidence? look up how FIDE is using the same criteria for improper communication ..thx and all the best to your channel

[@nicbentulan]

2nd: 2022 WFRCC: Magnus, Hikaru & FIDE cheated Wesley So, who should've been 2020, 2022 & 2024 candidates wildcard because Wesley So won in classical games (45+15=60) while Hikaru won in rapid games (25+5+2.5=32.5min). Source: p1w4Rr-1fL --- That's the summary. The ff is the long version. --- 2 questions Q1 Why isn't it unfair to Wesley So that FIDE lowered the WFRCC time controls from 60min in 2019 to 32.5min in 2022 ( w/o changing the name of course to 'rapid WFRCC'. if they change the name, then there's no problem ) considering the ff things? --- Thing1 In the 2019 WFRCC, Hikaru & Magnus did better in 15+2=17min games than 60min games. Wesley So did better in vice-versa. --- Thing2 Afaik - (0min,10min) = blitz - [10min,60min) = rapid - [60min,120min) = classical but unrated for 2200+ players. - [120min,infinity) = classical Hence, Wesley So should be the CLASSICAL WFRCC and then Hikaru is the rapid WFRCC. Wesley So beat Magnus 3x CLASSICAL games in a row HUMAN VS HUMAN, no computer prep! The last time this happened was Vishy Anand vs Alexei Shirov in 2000 FIDE classical WCC! (Not to be confused w/ 2000 PCA classical WCC where Garry cheated Alexei.) --- Thing3 Yet for some reason FIDE insists that both 32.5min & 60min are 'slow rapid' while 17min is 'fast rapid'. They didn't even define these terms. Check out the maths here: I see only 2 reasonable definitions for slow & fast rapid. -Def1 - Slow rapid means unrated classical [60,120) & fast rapid is rapid [10,60). This means: - There's no classical WFRCC. - Wesley So is slow rapid WFRCC. - Hikaru is fast rapid WFRCC. - Hence, Hikaru is NOT a successor of Wesley So. -Def2 - Fast rapid & slow rapid cut up rapid [10,60) into resp [10,35) and [35,60). 2 issues here: - 60min is not in either of these intervals. - Also, 32.5 is in [10,35). So neither 60 nor 32.5 are slow rapid. Lol. This means: - There's no slow rapid WFRCC. - Wesley So is classical WFRCC. - Hikaru is rapid WFRCC, specifically fast rapid WFRCC. - Hence, again, Hikaru is NOT a successor of Wesley So. - Def3 - The definitions must be: Since 15+2=17 is fast rapid, we must have - [10,X) fast rapid & - [X,120) slow rapid, for some 17 < X < 32.5. Like say X is some arbitrary number like X=20 or X=30. Lol yeah right!! --- Thing4 Conclusion: I believe the 2022 WFRCC was a conspiracy to get Hikaru / Magnus to win in parallel w/ the Hans Niemann situation. Think about this: - Magnus quits the 2022 Sinquefield Cup. 1 day later, Hans Niemann, an American rival of Magnus, is harmed in another tournament, the 2022 CGC in that Hans is removed! - Magnus quits the 2023 WCC. 1 month later, Wesley So, an American rival of Magnus, is harmed in another tournament, the 2022 WFRCC in that the time controls are reduced w/o changing the name! I hardly believe this is a coincidence. I bet Magnus even directed (or conspired w/) FIDE to remove (and hence cheat) Sergey (not American but still Jewish like Hans & Bobby) from the 2022 candidates. Sergey's replacement Liren even cited the ff as role models: Magnus, Garry & Veselin instead of Wesley, Bobby & Vlad ( as described in FlNsFKeq-iE ). Of course there's no conspiracy at all if FIDE just says 'Ok Wesley So is classical WFRCC & Hikaru is rapid WFRCC. Sorry for the confusion!' For chess: The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life. For 9LX: The ability to play 9LX is the sign of a gentleman or a lady. The ability to play 9LX well is the sign that you're not Magnus Carlsen. LOL!!!! --- Q2 Consequently, why shouldn't Wesley So have been a wildcard in 2020, 2022 or 2024 candidates as the 2019 WFRCC winner considering -Fabi was a wildcard in the 2019 WFRCC quarter-finals as the 2018 WCC runner-up, not by FRC virtue -Hikaru & Magnus were 2019 WFRCC quarter & semi-finals wildcards, by FRC virtue for the 2018 unofficial WFRCC but lol the 2018 game itself was obviously for chess virtue ? Well I suppose there's that being good at chess means you'll be good at 9LX but not vice-versa (unless you're Magnus lol)... More info: JxIdCEj6_E8 --- P.S. Wesley So on Lex Fridman xcdhgq P.P.S. Interview while imprisoned p1w4Rr-1Uk Pablo Mercado: So what is your advice to the Filipino chess players? Uncle Bobby Fischer: My advice is to give up chess and take up Fischer Random. - 2004Oct11, 15 years before nephew Wesley So became the inaugural WFRCC in CLASSICAL time controls.

[@Mourad1m]

I realy would like to know why Levon left Armenia!