Ponomariov Wins Ukrainian Championship
Ruslan Ponomariov finished a clear winner of the 2011 Ukrainian Chess Championship with a score of 8½/11.
Going into the final round Ponomariov only needed a draw to win the 12-player single round robin event, but he secured the title in style with a great win with the black pieces.
The national championship was held in the capital city of Kiev and was the strongest for many years thanks to a healthy prize fund of 600,000 Ukrainian Hryvnias (approx 75,000 US Dollars).
Only Vassily Ivanchuk was missing from the field, owing to his participation in the Bazna Kings tournament in Romania.
The final standings:
| Ponomariov, Ruslan | 2754 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8½ |
| Eljanov, Pavel | 2712 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| Efimenko, Zahar | 2701 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 7 |
| Moiseenko, Alexander | 2679 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 7 |
| Volokitin, Andrei | 2677 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 6½ |
| Kryvoruchko, Yuriy | 2640 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 6 |
| Areshchenko, Alexander | 2694 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Miroshnichenko, Evgenij | 2651 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5 |
| Korobov, Anton | 2660 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4½ |
| Vysochin, Spartak | 2529 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 4 |
| Vovk, Yuri | 2550 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | 2½ |
| Kovchan, Alexander | 2558 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 2½ |
Ponomariov receives his prize from FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
All the games are available at the official website (in Ukrainian). There is also a Facebook page available in English.
Picture of Ponomariov and Ilyumzhinov from FIDE.
