My referral link to ChessCom: https://go.chess.com/mustreader Nepo's course on the King’s Gambit: http://go.chess.com/nepokingsgambit Anish Giri’s course on the French Defence: http://go.chess.com/girisfrenchdefense Sam Shankland’s Chess Calculation WorkBook: http://go.chess.com/shanklandsworkbook Today’s guest is the legendary Levon Aronian — at 42, still one of the world’s strongest players. We discuss his recent Freestyle Chess success and strong run at the Esports World Cup. We dig into his vision for chess, why some top GMs are stepping away from Freestyle Chess, and what rules he’d change in Chess960. Levon shares concrete prep insights and his views on Gukesh’s future, whether Magnus returns to classical, and Alireza’s #1 potential. Watch till the end — blitz included. Levon's X: https://x.com/LevAronian Levon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levonaronian Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:12 — Esports World Cup: how it felt 02:14 — Hikaru tried to flag Levon — unethical? 04:49 — Will OTB lose to esports? 09:00 — Freestyle chess — Levon’s dream? 11:55 — Chess960 rules should change 13:55 — Chess960 prep — how? 15:03 — How many Chess960 positions have you analyzed? 16:41 — Can Anish learn all 960? 17:57 — Has Magnus studied 960? 18:31 — Chess960 improves you 19:40 — Unlearn classical rules in 960 23:10 — Will Chess960 replace classical? 25:14 — Why Gukesh struggles in 960 25:57 — Blitz/Rapid prep vs classical 27:25 — How Levon prepares for events 28:40 — What’s behind your recent success? 31:23 — Is Candidates a goal? 33:37 — Gukesh: rising or falling? 36:11 — Why isn’t Alireza #1 yet? 37:15 — How Levon keeps improving 39:06 — Will Magnus return to classical? 40:20 — Blitz against Levon Defeating MAGNUS at 42 and flagging HIKARU | Levon Aronian PODCAST Levon Aronian Levon Aronian podcast Levon Aronian interview Levon Aronian chess Levon Aronian Freestyle Chess Fischer Random chess Esports World Cup chess Levon at Esports World Cup esports chess vs OTB OTB vs esports chess Blitz vs classical preparation rapid vs classical prep chess preparation insights Levon on Magnus Carlsen Levon on Alireza Firouzja Levon on Gukesh will Magnus return to classical Gukesh future how to prepare for Chess960 unlearning classical rules in 960 Hikaru tried to flag Levon staying elite in chess at 42 mustreader greg mustreader mustreader chess cwm My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #chess #levonaronian #freestylechess #chesspodcast #chessinterview #chessimprovement #magnuscarlsen #alirezafirouzja #gukeshd #hikarunakamura #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #gregmustreader #cwm