Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian got the better of world No. 11 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) to make the semifinals of the Aimchess US Rapid on Wednesday, September 1 evening.

After a 3-1 win on Tuesday, Aronian polished off Mamedyarov in three games with a smooth 2-1 victory. The Armenia FTX Crypto Cup winner said it was an "emotional battle" and that he needed some rest before taking on reigning world champion Magus Carlsen.

The 3-day preliminary stage saw the players face each other once before the bottom 8 were eliminated while the top 8 advanced to a knockout consisting of 2-day matches.