Levon Aronian

Levon Grigori Aronian (Armenian: Լևոն Գրիգորիի Արոնյան; born October 6, 1982) is an Armenian-American chess grandmaster. He was a member of the Armenian national team that won the gold medal at the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin in 2006 and the 1st World Team Chess Championship in 2011. In 2017 he transferred to the United States Chess Federation.

Aronian was born in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union. He began playing chess at the age of six and was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2000. He has been ranked as high as world number two, and he has won numerous international chess tournaments, including the Corus Chess Tournament in 2006, 2007, and 2008, the Tal Memorial in 2006 and 2008, and the Linares Chess Tournament in 2009 and 2012.

Aronian is known for his aggressive and attacking style of play. He is also considered to be one of the best blitz chess players in the world. He has won the Armenian Blitz Chess Championship seven times and the World Blitz Chess Championship in 2009.

In addition to his chess career, Aronian is also a talented musician. He plays the piano and the guitar, and he has released a CD of classical music. He is also a polyglot, and he speaks Armenian, English, Russian, and German.

Aronian is married to Arianne Caoili, a Filipina chess player. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Here are some additional facts about Levon Aronian:

• He is the first Armenian chess player to be ranked number one in the world.
• He has won the Armenian Chess Championship a record nine times.
• He is a member of the American Chess Hall of Fame.
• He is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
• He is the founder of the Levon Aronian Foundation, which promotes chess education and development in Armenia.