Chessbase iconChessbaseSep 22, 2026 ~8 min source read

Levon Aronian on the future of Fischer Random (Chess960) and why creativity matters

A ChessBase feature presents Levon Aronian’s answers from a Deccan Herald interview in Bengaluru, situating his views within a broader recap of Chess960’s origins, early tournaments and debates over format and spectator engagement.

Quo vadis, Fischer Random Chess? (2)

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Aronian values Chess960 for its creative demands and says top players can switch to it at any time.

The ChessBase piece links Aronian’s interview to earlier coverage of Chess960’s origins, Bobby Fischer’s role, name change, and early German tournaments.

The article revisits format ideas, including using a short list of preset positions for spectator selection to balance novelty and preparation.

# Summary

ChessBase follows up a prior primer on Fischer Random (Chess960) with an interview of Levon Aronian conducted in Bengaluru during the Global Chess League. The piece places Aronian's remarks alongside a concise recap of how Fischer Random emerged, how it was promoted, and how the community has experimented with rules and formats to make it work in tournament settings.

# Why Aronian's view matters

# Context provided by ChessBase

The ChessBase article revisits several historical and organizational points often discussed around Fischer Random:

  • Early competitive staging of Chess960 took place in Germany, which hosted the first dedicated tournaments under these rules.
  • Garry Kasparov has contributed ideas to promotion and presentation of the format.

# What Aronian said in the interview

Aronian's quoted line in the ChessBase piece captures his central point: "I think in in a way it's also easy for us because we know that we can always switch to chess 960 any single day and that game is full of creativity." The article places that comment in a longer conversation with Manisha Mohite that touched on his experience with the format and related topics of interest to the chess community.

# Where and how the interview was recorded

The interview took place in Bengaluru (Bangalore) during the Global Chess League. ChessBase republished material originally conducted for the Deccan Herald. The piece sits alongside recurring ChessBase content such as coverage of high-profile Chess960 matches (for example, encounters involving legend players) and reports on festival and league play.

# Practical implications for players and organizers

  • For players: Chess960 reduces the payoff to deep, memorized opening preparation and places a premium on general middlegame skill and creativity.
  • For organizers: Using a small roster of preset positions with audience selection could balance spectator engagement and player preparation, making tournaments easier to stage while keeping variety.

# Bottom line

ChessBase uses Aronian's interview to reinforce an argument it has previously advanced: Chess960 is increasingly visible, stimulates creative play among top players, and remains a living experiment in how best to integrate novelty into structured competition. Aronian's practical endorsement — that elite players can switch to Chess960 quickly — is presented as a vote of confidence in the format's playability at the highest level.

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