Last week’s WR Masters in Düsseldorf, Germany, looked on paper an interesting opportunity for potential rivals to Magnus Carlsen to showcase their skills, and for the new generation of teenage grandmasters to measure their development against the established top 10.
In the event, Düsseldorf fell slightly short on both counts. Levon Aronian won the €40,000 first prize, a fine recovery from a poor year in 2022, but at age 40, and with a history of failure in the Candidates, he is no longer a world title contender. His victory seemed assured when he dominated the first half of the tournament and led with 4/5, but then his rhythm was disrupted by a peculiar incident.
