Aronian Faces Dilemma

Levon Aronian, the former leader of the Armenian national chess team who now represents the USA, is facing a dilemma about whether to travel to Baku or not. On his Twitter microblog, he admitted that as a chess player, he wishes to participate in the World Championship, but as an Armenian, he has concerns about his personal safety.

“I am in a dilemma. As a person who loves the World Championship, I would like to participate in the 2023 World Championship, but as an Armenian, I do not feel safe traveling to Baku, Azerbaijan,” the chess player wrote.

He added that since FIDE is promoting a hybrid format, he is ready to play from any possible location. The hybrid format allows a chess player to play online while being in a public place.