Levon Grigori Aronian, born October 6, 1982, is an Armenian-American super grandmaster who has remained among the world's elite players for over two decades. After switching to represent the United States in December 2021, he continues to deliver exceptional performances across all time formats at age 42.​ Aronian's career is marked by extraordinary consistency and prestigious achievements. He peaked as world No. 2 in March 2014 with a commanding rating of 2830—the fourth-highest rating ever attained in chess history, behind only Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, and Fabiano Caruana. His world championships include the 2009 World Rapid Chess Championship, 2010 World Blitz Championship, and two Chess World Cup victories (2005, 2017), making him only the second player besides Kasparov to win the World Cup twice.​ For Armenia, Aronian led the team to three Chess Olympiad gold medals (2006, 2008, 2012) and won gold at the 2011 World Team Chess Championship, establishing himself as a national hero. His competitive excellence extends to 2025: he won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas in July, defeating Hans Niemann in the final for $200,000, and followed with victory at the 2025 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz championship with 24.5/36 points in August.​ As of November 2025, Aronian maintains an exceptional classical rating of 2742, ranking #15 globally and #4 in the USA, with outstanding rapid (2742, #7) and blitz (2768, #12) ratings. His consistency—remaining in the world's top 20 since 2005—combined with his ability to defeat anyone, including recent victories over Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh Dommaraju, underscores why CNN aptly called him the "David Beckham of chess"—reliable, adaptable, and perpetually dangerous.​