Game 1
Game 1
The younger David conquered the Goliath in the first round of the World Championship Final at Moscow here today. In a French Rubinstein variation lasting just 23 moves, the young shank Ponomariov crushed his older team mate Ivanchuk to take the early lead in the eight game match. Ivanchuk was sticking to the same opening against Anand in the semi finals a month back and survived. But today he was no match for the tiger, and found himself in a perilous zugzwang after three hours of play and resigned when he faced with no alternatives except to give up an exchange or lose the queen for two pieces.
Game 2
Game 2
In a bold attempt to tie the match, Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine sacrificed the exchange to gain positional advantage but compatriot Ruslan Ponomariov survived with a draw to maintain his one point lead in their 8-game World Championship Match.
With the advantage of the White pieces, Ivanchuk essayed the Queen’s Gambit which Ponomariov accepted. After three hours of play with hardly any exchanges, Ivanchuk managed to break through the center. Ponomariov tried to trap Ivanchuk’s Bishop on the 28th move when Ivanchuk countered by sacrificing Rook for Knight.
“I would have preferred the solid 29.f4 instead,” commentator GM Zurab Azamaiparashvili said “since they had little time left and Black would not have any counter. This way, Ivanchuk had to calculate carefully, which he did, but at the same time it gave Black tactical chances. Ivanchuk had good chances, but he exchanged Queens too early.”
On the 32nd move Ivanchuk had around a minute left on his clock. In the ensuing complications, Ponomariov had less than a minute. But with the time control which gives 30 second increments for every move, the players managed to avoid losing by time forfeit. Players have to record all their moves and at move 59, Chief Arbiter Yuri Averbach prepared the next page of the scoresheet but the players agreed to draw.
Game 3
Game 3
Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine played a sharp variation of the Sicilian Paulsen to seize the initiative with the black pieces in Game 3 of the World Championship match but compatriot Ruslan Ponomariov managed to ease the pressure and reach a drawn position.
“The use of the Sicilian Defense shows that Ivanchuk prepared well for the match and not only with one or two openings. He was happy with the position,” commentator GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili said “and had no problem at any stage of the game,” he added.
At the post-game press conference, Ivanchuk admitted that he did not see Qf2 by White which forced an exchange of queens. “It shows that I am still not in good form,” he confessed.
“The fact that Ponomariov refused Ivanchuk’s first offer of a draw shows that Ruslan wants to exhaust all possibilities,” Azmaiparashvili said. Ivanchuk offered the draw again on the 47th move and Ponomariov accepted. He maintains a one point lead in their 8-game match.
Game 4
Game 4
Another Queens Gambit Accepted game and another drawn result. But Ponomariov left no stone unturned with his attitude for going all out for the win. The game lasted near full time and was drawn by repetition on move 50, when the position looked more than promising for Ruslan to take it out on Ivanchuk. His kingside rook pawn looked like a roller against white’s bad bishop and awkwardly placed king. But the Ukraine teenager preferred to repeat the moves and retain his lead at 2.5-1.5, with four more rounds to go.
The post match press brief saw Ponmariov conceding that he missed the 28…Ne3 which settles the game in his favor instantly. Ruslan added that he wasn’t satisfied with the quality of games as well. For his part Ivanchuk added that he took the pawn offered like a patzer and overlooked the very strong 46.g4 completing a round of slips, all together. But the fresh blood and youth of Ruslan is enough to carry the excitement of the event through. Tomorrow will be a day of rest, when Ruslan will count his chicks, while Ivanchuk will look into fresher grounds and strategies to even the score.
Game 5
Game 5
Resilience !! Just a single word that can describe this teenager from Ukraine, for Ponomariov hung on grimly today and a lethal counter attack, aided by a series of Ivanchuk slips, left him on the threshold of the all important title. With a big two point lead, the pendulum has swung in favor of the younger player, with Ivanchuk requiring two wins from three games to take the match into the tie breaks.
The Ruy Lopez game saw Ivanchuk equalizing comfortably, and was almost whipping Ruslan into submission in the middle game. But a series of errors, saw Ivanchuk ceding the advantage and the game in a double bishop and queen ending to his younger counterpart. It turned out to be so near, yet so far situation for Ivanchuk. For the talented Ukraine Grandmaster baffled himself and others with a series of moves, that gave away a very crucial point to Ponomariov.
Looking back, Chuky may feel this could be most crucial moment of the whole Championship, when he was well in sight of victory, when his mind demons took over in addition to the time pressure that Ruslan managed to create through some dicey counter attack, that was just enough for survival. “Fortune favors the brave” and there’s no doubt in one’s mind as to who hung on in a desperately, and came out winner. But the huge round of applause at the end of the game, showed the amount of support the teenager enjoys in the Russian Capital, Moscow
Game 6
Game 6
A ruthlessly played out Petroff draw, saw Ruslan Ponomariov inching towards history.Ruslan tackled Ivanchuk’s play with dynamism and threw the gauntlet to his older opponent. Faced with a choice of more complications or a safe draw, with another day to live, Chuky chose the second option. There was more to Ruslan’s 23….d3 !! than that met the eye, as he played the moves with speed putting pressure on Chuky. The ensuing double rook and equal pawns ending offered nothing better than a draw, and Ponomariov progressed with just a draw away from the magical mark of 4.5 points. It will be an uphill task for Ivanchuk, who needs two wins in two games to come back into the match.
Game 7
Game 7
A fourth opening, an Alekhine defence, in four black games by Ivanchuk couldn’t stop 18 year Ruslan Ponomariov. The Ukraine Grandmaster became the youngest ever World Champion in the game of Chess. Ruslan drew his seventh round game against Ivanchuk taking an unassailable lead of 4.5 – 2.5, winning the eight game FIDE World Championship Final. Needing just a draw to clinch the title, Ponomariov went about the task with enviable coolness. He opened up the kingside and kept his king in the center, leaving the purist baffled. The exchange of queens on the 18th move, left white with a small edge, enough to iron out a draw. Just four moves later, peace was signed, giving the joyous teenager his moment in history.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total | |
| Ponomariov, R | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 4 ½ |
| Ivanchuk, V | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 2 ½ |