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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