Ivanchuk Leads Ponomariov In World Cup
Vassily Ivanchuk won the second game of his four-game match against Ruslan Ponomariov in the 3/4th place decider at the World Cup.
Ruslan Ponomariov played ambitiously with the white pieces and a dynamic game provided chances for both players, but it was Ivanchuk who gained the upper hand as the clocks ran low.
Ponomariov had to concede defeat after 40 moves, leaving his compatriot Ivanchuk in a strong position in the match.
Peter Svidler took no risks in the match with Alexander Grischuk for the 2011 World Cup title. Svidler chose a solid and unambitious response to Grischuk's Najdorf, resulting in a draw after only 16 moves.
The scores after game 2 in the final and 3/4th place matches:
| Name | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | R1 | R2 | r3 | r4 | B1 | B2 | SD | Tot |
| Final. Match for the 1st place | ||||||||||||
| Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) | 0 | ½ | 0.5 | |||||||||
| Svidler, Peter (RUS) | 1 | ½ | 1.5 | |||||||||
| Final. Match for the 3rd place | ||||||||||||
| Ivanchuk, Vassily (UKR) | ½ | 1 | 1.5 | |||||||||
| Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) | ½ | 0 | 0.5 |
The end is nigh for Ponomariov as Ivanchuk closes in for the kill
Grischuk (right) will hope to win with white tomorrow to level the scores
Games start at 15:00 local time (09:00 UTC). The time control for the regular games is 40 moves in 90 minutes followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 second increment from the start. Rapid games are at 25 minutes plus 10 second increment, and if scores are still level then 10 minutes plus 10 second increment, 5 minutes plus 3 second increment, and finally sudden-death 5 min v 4 min with a 3 second increment after move 60.
The official website with live coverage and commentary in Russian and English is here.
Photos from the official website.
