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Zurich CC Rapid 2014 · Zurich SUI · 04 February 2014

Aronian, L. vs Carlsen, M., Zurich CC Rapid 2014

Aronian, L. 1–0 Carlsen, M.
Aronian, L. vs Carlsen, M.
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Zurich CC Rapid 2014, 04 February 2014

Aronian-Carlsen at the 2014 Zurich Chess Challenge Rapid (February 4) was a one-point win for the Armenian. The Zurich CC was a hybrid event: a classical round-robin with five super-grandmasters (Carlsen, Caruana, Aronian, Nakamura, Gelfand) preceded by a faster rapid section. Carlsen won the classical portion; Aronian won this particular rapid game.

The opening was a Closed Spanish (Ruy Lopez), the classical battleground of elite chess at this period. Aronian as White produced a structural edge in the middlegame that translated into a kingside attack. Carlsen defended accurately for many moves but eventually failed to find the exact defensive sequence in time pressure. The win came in 45 moves.

The Zurich Chess Challenge had been established as one of the strongest annual events on the calendar by 2014. Its small field guaranteed maximum game density; the combination of classical and rapid sections kept the spectator interest high. Aronian’s performance in the rapid section helped him finish second in the combined standings, behind Carlsen.

Aronian’s wins against Carlsen during this period were relatively rare. The 2014 Zurich rapid game and the 2014 World Rapid blitz tie discussed in another page represent two of the few classical-or-rapid points Aronian scored directly against Carlsen in their long careers. By 2016 Carlsen would have closed the rapid-form gap entirely; by 2018 he would be the clear world’s strongest rapid player.