Levon Aronian calls himself a child of online chess. Back in 90s Armenia, with no chance to travel, he trained non-stop on dial-up blitz. Those late nights shaped one of the greatest players of his generation.
In this exclusive interview, Aronian reflects on how online chess became a “social elevator” for talents worldwide — from Iran to Argentina, from Norway to Armenia. He reveals how the internet shaped legends like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alireza Firouzja, and why brain speed still matters more than mouse speed.
From beating Magnus and Hikaru in 2025 to his thoughts on the rise of online platforms, Aronian shares stories that show why chess is entering a new era — and why he’s still hungry to win.
00:00:35 — Online chess made me who I am
00:00:58 — Playing Magnus, Hikaru, Firouzja online
00:01:12 — First steps in online gaming
00:03:10 — Chess as a social elevator
Media Attribution
This video includes images licensed under various Creative Commons licenses. All content has been used in accordance with the terms of those licenses.
Attribution has been provided as follows:
Photos
Fabiano Caruana by First Saturday tournament archive
Iranian Team by Andreas Kontokanis CC BY-SA 2.0
Alireza Firouzja during Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 by Frans Peeters CC BY-SA 2.0
Parham Maghsoodloo by Stefan64 CC BY-SA 3.0
Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami by Fars Media Corporation CC BY 4.0
Aronian vs. Morozevich Linares 2007 by Oscar Javier Garcia Baudet CC BY 3.0
Grischuk,Alexandr R. Hoffmann / Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1992. Via Wikimedia Commons
Videos
Video excerpt courtesy of International Chess Federation (FIDE), “13 year old Magnus Carlsen Vs Levon Aronian Part 2 YouTube”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPRQoz_feKY&t=69s
Video excerpt courtesy of Nimzo-chess, “a classic game on lichess.org”, retrieved from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqNlsJnXsSg
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseProducts, “ChessBase Light 2009 – how to analyze positions using the built-in chess engine”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPF7btguQ9k
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseProducts, “ChessBase Light 2009/ChessBase 10 – converting whole databases between PGN and CBH formats”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTGPktOS0sA
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseProducts, “ChessBase Light 2009/ChessBase 10 – entering and saving games”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQzTYIssLE8
Video excerpt courtesy of amar sekher “13 year old Magnus Carlsen Vs Levon Aronian Part 2 YouTube”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPRQoz_feKY
Video excerpt courtesy of Freestyle Chess “Las Vegas Grand Slam Recap: Levon Aronian wins his first Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Title!” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxQm2eQ7LRE
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club “Levon Aronian Follows Daughter’s Advice & Wins 13 GCT Points! | D5 #STLRapidBlitz” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2dPzCz7nU
Video excerpt courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club “Levon Aronian Follows Daughter’s Advice & Wins 13 GCT Points! | D5 #STLRapidBlitz” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_2dPzCz7nU
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess.com “Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Las Vegas: HANS v. LEVON In GRAND FINAL & Magnus v. Hikaru For 3rd Place!” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGOqx7jhlfY
Video excerpt courtesy of Seppo Palander “Jerevan (Armenia) 1985” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0uCehC6eBk
Video excerpt courtesy of The VideoGames Museum “MyChess © 1984 Software Toolworks – PC DOS – Gameplay” retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkyjrqzvKxQ