nihalsarin vs levonaronian

Aronian developed his dark‑squared bishop to **d6** early, then exchanged it on **d6** with the queen (**12...Qxd6**) to eliminate White's active bishop and ease his own king safety. By playing **...f6** and later **...Ne5**, he challenged White's bishop on h4 and placed a knight on a strong central square, demonstrating the principle of confronting opponent's pieces directly to prevent them from gaining momentum.

After the queens were exchanged, Aronian simplified further with **24...Rxe1** and **26...Rxe1**, trading rooks to reduce material and limit White's attacking chances. He then generated counterplay on the queenside with **28...b5**, followed by the pawn capture **31...bxa4**, creating a passed pawn and opening lines for his knights. The knights' jumps to **...Nb6**, **...Nbc4**, and the exchange **33...Nxc4** showed how active minor pieces can compensate for a slightly cramped pawn structure.

In the final phase, Aronian kept his king central with **35...Ke7** and used his knight to give perpetual checks, shuttling between **...Nb2+** and **...Nc4**. The repeated checks forced a three‑fold repetition, securing the draw. This demonstrates the endgame principle of using a well‑placed piece to create a perpetual threat when a win is not realistic.