In the early rounds of Linares Aronian had promising positions but failed to collect any full points. That didn’t stop him providing good quotes for Vasiliev at Chesspro.

Originally posted here:

Aronian’s probably the player who’s really underperformed (or at least performed unevenly) so far. The Chesspro report after round 3 included this:

It seems to me that Levon Aronian hasn’t quite found his game yet.

“The Berlin – playing for a draw?” I asked. And added that when we were discussing the play of some contemporary grandmasters David Bronstein told me that he used the “Berlin variation” when he didn’t feel very well, as he knew that “white can’t score a goal against the black king without the white-squared bishop”. He compared the black king, rushing around the “goalmouth” between c8 and f8, to a goalkeeper. Levon smiled as he heard me out and said that he plays the Berlin so that “his opponents will have a headache”.

– For the moment I still haven’t grasped that I’m playing in a serious tournament and haven’t come to knock out some moves in blitz… – he told me after his first round game with Grischuk.

They spent around an hour analysing the game, which had finished early after mass exchanges.

– Lost? – from time to time Alexander asked his opponent. And Levon only laughed cheerfully. In almost all lines after the correct 10. Rb1 (instead of the monstrous 10. Qxc3) black got a position that was close to absolutely hopeless.

– Well, so why did you play 10. Qxc3? – I asked the FIDE Grand Prix winner and candidate for the world championship.

– It’s impossible to explain.

– A blackout?

– Yes, something like that.

And Levon uttered that phrase about blitz…”

And here: 

Vasiliev’s latest report is up at Chesspro. 

Aronian told him that more likely than not he had a won position against Topalov, but Topalov broke in to say he didn’t agree. Aronian just smiles (knowing the computer will have the final say) and Vasiliev’s prose waxes lyrical about how we should forget about the metal monsters and how he agrees with Topalov…that Topalov doesn’t agree. (I think Vasiliev might have had a touch too much sangria – it’s quite a crazy report!)

There’s a funny interchange between Aronian and Topalov on the Benoni:

When during their analysis Levon noted with a jovial compassion that the black pieces were all crowded onto the eighth rank Veselin told him:

– But it’s the Benoni…

Meaning, well, you don’t understand, we’re sitting in a deep hole that we’ve dug for ourselves, what do you expect from us… Levon laughed his loud piercing laugh and, craftily glancing at Topalov, said:

– The Benoni, you say?! Well, if that’s the Benoni I’ll never play it in my life!