Levon Aronian in South Africa

by André Schulz
1/28/2020 – Levon Aronian was conspicuously absent from the latest field in Wijk aan Zee, for the second year in a row. The four-time Tata Steel Masters winner was instead a guest of honour at the South African Youth Championships, which was held in Johannesburg with well over 2,000 young players. There he gave a simultaneous display on 107 boards and played blitz with all comers in Joubert Park. | Photos: Levon Aronian

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9,000 kilometres from Wijk aan Zee

Levon Aronian was recently a guest of the South African Chess Federation in Johannesburg and opened the South African Youth Championships (SAJCC), making the ceremonial first move.

During his visit to South Africa's largest city (population over 2 million), the Armenian superstar grandmaster also gave a simultaneous display on a whopping 107 boards, while wearing an original Madiba shirt. These printed silk shirts from South African became famous worldwide in part thanks to Nelson Mandela elevated who wore them as the country's first black head of state in the 1990s. 

Levon Aronian

The South African Youth Championships was held from January 4th to 8th. In the team tournaments, regional teams of six to ten players in the age groups Under-8 to Under-20 competed. The individual championships, also held in a variety of different age groups, also offered qualification for the closed youth championship (SAJCCC).

The youth tournament of the South African Association has been running for 30 years. For the first time this year players were taking part from all over southern Africa. Over 2,200 young chess players and over 260 teams started. There were also 500 other visitors, trainers and supervisors. 

The venue was the Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg:

Aronian in simultaneous action

After the event, like Wesley So a year ago, Levon paid a visit to Joubert Park, where he lost to a local chess hero, but this time Simphiwe Buthelezi. Bruce Mubayiwa reported on the outing for African Chess Media:

As has become customary for any Grandmaster who officially opens the South African Junior Chess Championships (SAJCC), they have to make the trip to Joubert Park to face the players and the hustlers in Blitz. This year it was Super Chess Grandmaster Levon Aronian’s turn after he officially opened the SAJCC tournament on Saturday.

The GM had accounted for everyone in the park and he was playing with odds of 50 seconds or 1 minute against 3 minutes. It was even reduced to 35 seconds when he was playing the ladies. He beat every single person he played in the park except one man, Simphiwe Buthelezi also known online as Simza.

I have never seen an untitled individual in chess play so confidently and be so composed against a Super Grandmaster. The way Simphiwe Buthelezi beat Grandmaster Levon Aronian at Joubert Park on a warm Sunday afternoon was just unreal. Where did this young man get his confidence and composure?

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,162,86954%2421---
1.d4944,72655%2434---
1.Nf3280,65156%2441---
1.c4181,58656%2442---
1.g319,66356%2427---
1.b314,17554%2427---
1.f45,87148%2376---
1.Nc33,76751%2384---
1.b41,73748%2378---
1.a31,19354%2403---
1.e31,06448%2408---
1.d394550%2378---
1.g465846%2359---
1.h444453%2373---
1.c342251%2422---
1.h327856%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.Nh38866%2510---
1.f38745%2429---
1.Na34063%2477---
1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.e4 d6 6.Nge2 Nc6 A16: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...d5 6...c5= 6...c6 7.0-0 a6 8.d4 b5 9.cxb5 axb5 10.e5 Ne8 11.Nxb5 Ba6 12.Nbc3 dxe5 13.dxe5 Qxd1 14.Rxd1 Bxe5 15.Bf4 Bxe2 16.Nxe2 Bxf4 17.Nxf4 1-0 (54) Harikrishna,P (2744)-Rakhmanov,A (2653) Riadh 2017 7.h3 e5 8.0-0 a6 The position is equal. 9.a4N 9.d3 should be considered. Predecessor: 9.d3 Rb8 10.Be3 b5 11.b3 Ne7 12.Qd2 b4 13.Nd5 Nfxd5 14.cxd5 c5 15.Bh6 Bd7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.f4 f6 18.fxe5 fxe5 19.Rxf8 Qxf8 20.Rf1 Qd8 21.Qg5 Ng8 22.Qxd8 Rxd8 1/2-1/2 (22) Hunhoff,S (1899) -Wingenfeld,K (1888) Germany 2016 9...Nd7 10.f4 10.a5= 10...exf4 11.gxf4 f5 12.d3 Nc5 13.Nd5! Kh8 13...Nd4 14.Nxd4 Bxd4+ 15.Be3 Bxb2 14.Kh1 14.e5!± 14...fxe4 15.dxe4 Ne7 16.Nec3? 16.Ra3= 16...c6 16...Nxd5! 17.cxd5 Qh4 17.Ne3 Be6 Black should try 17...Ng8 18.Qc2 18.a5= 18...a5       Black has some pressure. 19.f5 gxf5 20.exf5 Bg8?      
20...Bd7 keeps the upper hand. 21.Bd2 Qc8 21.f6? 21.Ng4!+- And now f6 would win. h5 22.f6 hxg4 23.fxg7+ Kxg7 24.Be3 24.hxg4 Ng6 24...Bxc4 25.Rxf8 25.Bd4+ Kg8 25...Qxf8 26.Bxc5 dxc5 27.Ne4 21...Bxf6 22.Rxf6 Rxf6 23.Ng4 Rg6 White must now prevent ...Be6. 24.Bh6?       24.b4!= and White stays safe. Ne6 25.Bb2 24...Nc8?
Less strong is 24...Bxc4 25.Ne4 Black should play 24...Be6-+ 25.Ne4 Nf5 26.Qc3+ Kg8 25.Qd2 25.Nd5!       Bxd5 25...cxd5 26.Qc3+ 26.cxd5 Rxg4 27.Rf1 27.Qc3+ Kg8= 25...Qh4?       25...Nb3 keeps the pressure on. 26.Qf2 Ne7 26.Qd4++- White is clearly winning. Rf6 27.Qxf6+ Qxf6 28.Nxf6 Bxc4 29.Re1 White threatens Re8+ and mate. Nb6 30.Re7 Bd3 31.Bg7# Accuracy: White = 52% (10/6/24), Black = 43% (8/10/25).
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Simphiwe Buthelezi (2740)-Grandmaster Levon Aronian (160-1–02020A15Joubert Park - Blitz in the Park

Even after the game when I interviewed Simza he was quite casual about it. He did not seem too excited. It seemed like just another day for him. Simza said in his game against the GM they had played an opening he was familiar with, the English Opening and he had essayed the Botvnnik Variation. The characteristic moves of the Botvinnik Variation include the Fianchetto and placing of white’s King Bishop on the g2 square and a central e4 push by white in the Centre.

Did Simza really understand what he had just done? I was recording the whole thing and could not believe what I had just witnessed. The spectators went wild after the game.

It was the only game I saw the GM make a blunder and appear a bit flustered the whole time in the park. Everyone else had tried and failed in Joubert Park and all hope seemed lost.

Read the full account at AfricaChessMedia.com

Translation from German and additional reporting: Macauley Peterson

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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