This is a nice positional chess game between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian from the 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz. The opening is a French Defense, Burn Variation. Aronian tempts MVL to double his f-pawns but the offer is declined in favor of normal development. After the queens are traded the game enters an endgame where Black cannot pursue a minority attack to create a queenside target because the a-pawn can no longer support a b4 break. However, Aronian is gifted a target after MVL’s 19th move b3. The time control for this rapid game is 25+10.
#LevonAronian #FrenchDefense
Image of Levon Aronian by Lennart Ootes
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PGN
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bd7 6. Nf3 Bc6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Ng3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 a5 12. Bc2 a4 13. Qd3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 c6 15. Rad1 Qa5 16. Bd2 Qd5 17. Qxd5 cxd5 18. Bd3 Nb8 19. b3 axb3 20. axb3 Ra2 21. Ne2 Nc6 22. Nc1 Ra3 23. f3 Na5 24. Bb5 Rb8 25. b4 Nc4 26. Ne2 Nxd2 27. Rxd2 h5 28. h4 Rc8 29. g3 Bd6 30. Kf2 e5 31. dxe5 Bxe5 32. Rd3 Ra2 33. Kf1 g6 34. Red1 Kg7 35. Re3 Bc7 36. c4 Rb2 37. cxd5 Rxb4 38. d6 Rxb5 39. dxc7 Rxc7 40. Nf4 Rb2 41. Re2 Rb3 42. Kg2 b5 43. Rd6 Rb7 44. Ra2 b4 45. Raa6 Nd7 46. Nd3 Rxd3