Aronian happy with his fourth victory in Wijk aan Zee
Levon Aronian won the Masters Group on Saturday. The Armenian grandmaster lost his only game to Dutch GM Loek van Wely, but still gained 13.7 rating points in Wijk aan Zee.
“I tend to expect to play well in tournaments,” said Aronian at the traditional press conference given by the winner. He called Wijk aan Zee his favorite tournament, and clearly was happy with his fourth victory. (Later, at the closing ceremony he would state that he plays his best chess in Wijk.)
Even though he had already won the tournament, Aronian was clearly playing for a win in the last round, but ended up losing. He called the fight with Loek van Wely the most interesting game he played in the tournament. “It wasn't my intention to get in time trouble but I did, and then I blundered a mate in one,” Aronian said.
Boris Gelfand and Arkadij Naiditsch both won again and can go home with at least a few wins, Chess.com reports.