Levon Aronian of Armenia recorded three rapid wins in as many rounds to earn three points and emerge as sole leader on the first day of Tata Steel Chess India at the National Library on Thursday.

In the third round Aronian got the better of Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi. The duel saw the Ragozin Defence in the Queen’s Gambit Opening. This set-up is a favourite of the Armenian star.

Aronian maintained a solid position throughout the game and went into the endgame being a pawn-up. He demonstrated great technique in the rook and pawn endgame and secured the win.

Earlier, Aronian accounted for American GM Sam Shankland (Round I) and India’s Baskaran Adhiban (Round II). Adhiban was playing with the black pieces and had decent chance of a draw against Aronian after mass exchanges liquidated into an opposite-coloured bishops endgame.

A small inaccuracy from Adhiban gave Aronian the chance to record a victory. In the first round, the brother-sister battle between Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali ended in a draw.

The tournament has returned to the city after two years.