Tal Mem: Mamedyarov & Ponomariov win
Today Ponomariov did what not many have managed to do, ever: the Ukrainian beat Leko in his beloved Marshall Gambit. In a difficult Scheveningen, Mamedyarov defeated Kamsky with Black and after three draws in the other games, Morozevich keeps his half a point lead in Moscow.The Tal Memorial takes place 17-31 August at the GUM Exhibition Hall, located close to the Red Square, in Moscow, Russia.After four draws, both Mamedyarov and Ponomariov scored their first wins today, going to plus one and a shared second place now, behind Morozevich. Admittedly, Ponomariov's victory wasn't exactly the result of the opening, and probably both Leko's Black repertoire and the Marshall in general are still doing fine after today. It looks like two mistakes, based on a certain miscalculation, cost the Hungarian the game. Mamedyarov simply played a very strong game against Kamsky's Classical Qg3-Scheveningen, but the move of the day, and probably the tournament, was the American's queen's bishop fianchetto on g7!Ivanchuk and Kramnik confirmed for the 376th time that the Petroff is a draw, Shirov defended well against Morozevich and Gelfand might have missed some winning chances in the ending. Tomorrow is a rest day in Moscow; round 6 will have Morozevich-Ponomariov.
Check out Peter’s podcast Masters and Matches! Also, don’t miss Peter’s book The Chess Revolution.
Peter Doggers is Chess.com’s Senior Global Correspondent. Between 2007 and 2013, his website ChessVibes was a major source for chess news and videos, acquired by Chess.com in October 2013. The Guardian’s Leonard Barden described him as “widely regarded as the world’s best chess journalist.”
Company Contact and News Accreditation:
Email: peter@chess.com FOR SUPPORT PLEASE USE chess.com/support!
Phone: 1 (800) 318-2827
Address: 877 E 1200 S #970397, Orem, UT 84097
