Vladimir Kramnik reacts to Levon Aronian’s ‘modest confidence’ after grandmaster says he is better than many

Vladimir Kramnik reacts to Levon Aronian’s claims (Image: Chess.com) Levon Aronian’s candid assessment of his chess career has drawn a sharp response from former world champion Vladimir Kramnik after the American grandmaster said that reaching world number two was already a “miracle” for him.In an exclusive interview with The Tech Word News, Aronian was asked if he regrets never becoming a world classical champion. The 43-year-old man was unequivocal: he said he had no regrets at all and added that he never rated himself very highly as a chess player.“The fact that I was No. 2 in the world is a miracle.Levon Aronian talked about whether he regrets never becoming a world champion:“No, I don’t regret anything at all. First of all, I never valued myself so highly as a chess player. Of course, I have talent, and of course I am better than many world champions in understanding chess. But the very fact that I reached the 2nd place in the world ranking is a miracle for me. Because my chess knowledge used to be much worse.”In general, I’m not sure if setting goals is a good thing for you. Sometimes it just adds anxiety, and there is enough of that in our world. It is better to just enjoy and appreciate what you have,” Levon told TOI.

These remarks soon caught the attention of Kramník, who responded to X.

Kramnik, the classical world champion from 2000 to 2007, described Aronian as a “remarkable and extraordinary chess player” but seemed amused by the Armenian-born grandmaster’s assessment of his own abilities.“I would call that claim ‘modest confidence,'” Kramnik wrote, before taking issue with Aronian’s claim that he is better than many world champions when it comes to understanding chess.“better than MANY world champions” in chess? Hard to judge, but quite a statementKramnik’s response adds an interesting layer to Aronian’s comments. Rather than questioning Aronian’s achievements, his post highlights just how extraordinary the Grandmaster’s career was.Aronian came remarkably close to the pinnacle of classical chess without ever winning a world championship. He reached No. 2 in the FIDE ranking and a top rating of 2830, while winning the World Cup twice, in 2005 and 2017. He also helped Armenia win three gold medals from the Chess Olympiad.His career also includes world titles in faster formats, making his absence from the list of classical world champions one of the most notable “what ifs” in modern chess.