BIEL — The 59th edition of Switzerland’s renowned Biel International Chess Festival has concluded, with Levon Aronian winning the Masters Triathlon after drawing his final classical game against Aydin Suleymanli.
Suleymanli finished second, ahead of Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Le Quang Liem.
Václav Finěk delivered an impressive performance in the Generational Challenge. He took the tournament lead during the rapid phase on the opening day and maintained it throughout the competition. Xiao Tong and Marco Materia finished second and third, respectively.
Entering the final classical round, Aronian held a four-point lead over his closest challenger, Suleymanli. A victory with the black pieces would have allowed Suleymanli to draw level on points and claim the overall title through the ACCENTUS Chess960 tiebreaker.
Suleymanli pressed for active opportunities, but Aronian displayed flawless defensive technique and forced a draw through a repetition of moves, securing the overall championship.
Aronian’s Performance in Numbers
- Rapid: 9 out of 10 points
- Blitz: 8.5 out of 10 points
- Classical: Eight draws in eight games, remaining undefeated
- Total score: 29.5 points
