Leading player of the Armenian chess team Levon Aronyan failed to overcome the 1/8 finals of the first round tournament of the FIDE Grand Prix series held in Moscow, the National Olympic Committee reported.

Levon Aronyan drew the second game with Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi playing with white pieces and dropped out of the competition. The Russian GM had won the first game on the 72nd move. The tournament is held in a knock-out format.

To note, the 2019 FIDE Grand Prix series consists of four tournaments, with 16 players each. A total of 22 players will compete, and the top two finishers in the overall standings will qualify for the 2020 Candidates' Tournament. The winner of that tournament will be the new challenger of Magnus Carlsen in a title match scheduled for November 2020.