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Oleksandr_Bortnyk vs levonaronian
win
Date: 2026-03-18 16:58:25 |
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Game Snapshot
French Defense: Classical Variation
Master Lens
Levon Aronian (Black) turned a sharp French Defense into a winning endgame by activating his rooks on the seventh rank and then pushing a decisive a‑pawn with check. The game ends in a Black win, illustrating how precise piece coordination and timely pawn breaks can convert a dynamic middlegame into a clear victory.
What The GM Did Well By Phase
Opening
Aronian followed the Classical French plan with ...e6, ...Nf6 and the early exchange on e4, then developed his queen to c5 and his bishop to c6, putting pressure on White's centre and the vulnerable f2‑pawn. By castling queenside early (after 9.O‑O‑O) he kept his king safe while his pieces roamed the board, showing the principle of rapid piece activity after the opening.
Middlegame
After the queenside chaos, Aronian used his rooks aggressively: **18...Rd8** placed a rook on the open d‑file, **27...Rxe5** captured a central pawn and opened the e‑file, and **28...Re3+** forced the white king into the corner. The follow‑up **29...Rxb2** grabbed a pawn and cleared the b‑file, while moves like **30...Kc7**, **31...Kc6**, and **32...Rxg2** kept the rooks on the seventh rank where they threatened white's pieces. This demonstrates the principle of using rooks on the seventh rank (or any open rank) to dominate the opponent’s position.
Endgame
In the final phase Aronian created a passed a‑pawn and gave it a checking push with **41...a3+**. The check forced the white king onto c1, away from the a‑file, and cleared the way for the pawn to advance to promotion while his rooks infiltrated the seventh rank. This shows the power of using checks (tempo) to support unstoppable passed pawns and to coordinate rooks for a winning endgame.
Game Themes
promotion
rook and bishop
rooks on seventh
outside passed pawns
castling
passed pawns
bishop pair