GM Levon Aronian (@LevonAronian) defeated GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisQ) 14-11 in the fifth match in the 2020 Speed Chess Championship Main Event. It was an exciting clash of two heavy-weights.

Aronian’s win was a small upset victory as Nepomniachtchi was the higher seed in this match based on the FIDE blitz rating list. Also, the Russian grandmaster had won the same matchup, also in the first round, in 2017. Unlike three years ago, Aronian kept up a fairly high level of play all the way into the bullet phase.

After a draw in the first game, it was Nepomniachtchi who drew first blood with a nice attack on the king. As Aronian also needed much more time on the clock in those first two games, he definitely seemed under pressure from the start. However, he showed to be tactically sharp as well in the very next game and leveled the score. Aronian won the next game as well and ended up winning the five-minute segment 4.5-3.5. 

The first 3+1 game clearly showed signs of Nepomniachtchi lacking form. Things seemed to go in Aronian’s direction, but suddenly Nepomniachtchi won two in a row, and all was equal again: 8-8.

Aronian recovered with a win in the last three-minute game, so he went into the bullet with a one-point lead. Having been the faster player so far, Nepomniachtchi still seemed to be the slight favorite for those 1+1 games, but Aronian had his own agenda and took a great start in the final portion of the match.

With 13-9 on the scoreboard in Levon’s favor and eight minutes and five seconds to go on the match clock, the battle seemed decided. 

However, a blunder in the next game in a winning position was a blow for Aronian, who would then also lose the next one. With two minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, Nepomniachtchi needed to win two more games — and the first one in those two minutes. That way he would have kept chances to reach a tiebreak, as we saw in the match between GM Alireza Firouzja and GM Vladimir Fedoseev. Aronian, however, got himself together and ended up winning that last game that went beyond the clock time.

Text: Peter Doggers

Photo: chess.com