FIDE World Chess Cup 2017: Aronian through to 1/16 final

The tie-break games of the 1/32 final (second round) of the FIDE World Chess Cup 2017 underway in Tbilisi Georgia were played on Friday.

Armenian GM Levon Aronian drew the first two rapid games against Chinese chess grandmaster Hou Yifan, winning the next two matches. With a total of 4:2 score, Aronian won through to the 1/16 final of the chess tour, the National Olympic Committee reports. 

To note, the FIDE World Cup is a 128-player knockout with a $1,280,000 prize fund that qualifies two players for the Candidates tournament next year which decides who will be Magnus Carlsen’s next challenger.