Local chess hero wins match against world number six
PARKTOWN NORTH – Founder of Chess Heroes Academy Corno Klaver took on grandmaster Levon Aronian at the South African Junior Chess Championships.
Founder and coach at Chess Heroes Academy in Parktown North, Corno Klaver has impressed locals by winning a chess match against renowned grandmaster Levon Aronian.
Aronian is ranked sixth in the world for his chess skills and has been the leading Armenian chess player since the early 2000s. Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain.
Aronian attended the South African Junior Chess Championships in Kempton Park from 3 to 8 January, meeting more than 2 000 young chess players during the event.
The championship, which has been running for more than 30 years is one of the longest-running junior sporting events in the region. The championship consists of a team event and a wild-card event.
During an exhausting eight-hour ‘simul’ (simultaneous) event, where 108 players played against Aronian simultaneously, Klaver emerged as the only player who was victorious over Aronian.
Klaver said, “It was amazing to play against Levon Aronian. He played a lot of people at the same time so it was just a nice experience and honour to play him where I normally won’t have a chance to play a top Grandmaster like him.”
Kalver had coached chess for the past 20 years before starting Chess Heroes Academy to help students understand their own style and determine their strengths and weaknesses to optimise their performance.
He described the win against Aronian as an honour owing to his ranking as number six in the world.
Related articles:
Chess Heroes hosts successful inaugural tournament in Parktown North
Locals who love chess and boxing are invited to take part in a new sport
