Levon Aronian won the 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, taking home $40,000 in prize money.
The tournament was hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club and featured a field of top chess players from around the world.
What happened?
Aronian's victory was a significant one, with the Grandmaster showing tremendous consistency under pressure.
He finished ahead of GM Fabiano Caruana from the United States, who took second place and $30,000.
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France finished third, winning $25,000.
Why it matters for Levon Aronian
The win is a big boost for Aronian, who moves into second position in the Grand Chess Tour leaderboard.
He trails only GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who has a commanding lead.
What comes next?
The Grand Chess Tour will continue with the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, which runs from August 18-28 in Saint Louis.
The tournament will feature live commentary from GMs Yasser Seirawan and Peter Svidler, as well as International Master Nazi Paikidze.
Aronian will look to build on his momentum and close the gap with Vachier-Lagrave.
The 2025 Sinquefield Cup will be followed by the GCT Finals, which will take place in São Paulo, Brazil, starting on September 28, 2025.
The top four finishers of the regular season will compete for an additional $350,000 in the knockout matches.
The Grand Chess Tour has a total prize purse of $1.5 million, provided by the Superbet Foundation and the Saint Louis Chess Club.
These non-profit organizations support chess education and aim to expand the game of chess to a worldwide audience.
As Aronian looks to the future, he will be motivated by the support of his family and fans.
His daughter's words of encouragement, telling him to "go kill them", will surely be on his mind.
With his win in the 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Aronian has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the chess world.