Chess: Levon Aronian kicks off Sinquefield Cup with a win

Sinquefield Cup chess tournament is underway in Saint Louis, USA, and the first games have been played, Media Max Sport reports.

Levon Aronyan (Armenia, playing the white) beat Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) in the first round.
“We analyzed that opening before, but Ian said he didn’t expect it and forgot how the black pieces should respond. It’s important to prepare, to be aware of how the competitor might move, and of course, to analyze the given board,” Aronyan said after the game.

Currently, three players lead the tournament table with 1 point each: Levon Aronyan, Sergey Karjakin, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.