Head to Head
Ruslan Ponomariov
-
- Born:
- Oct 11, 1983 (Age 39) Horlivka, Ukraine
-
- FIDE Title:
- Grandmaster
-
- FIDE ID:
- 14103320
-
- Federation:
- Ukraine
-
- Peak Rating:
- 2764 (July 2011)
-
- Rating:
- 2641 (October 2023)
-
- Rank:
- 118 (October 2023)
- Links:
Currently still the youngest player ever to become World Champion, Ponomariov has since struggled to live up to that feat he accomplished in 2002. Back then he won six mini-matches before pulling off a shock by defeating his compatriot Vassily Ivanchuk 4.5-2.5 in the 8-game final. The sky seemed to be the limit for an 18-year-old who had already barged his way into the world Top 10, but disappointments followed. Above all, a planned 14-game match against Garry Kasparov collapsed in circumstances that to this day remain murky, so that ultimately Ponomariov lost his title without a contest when he chose not to take part in the next FIDE World Championship in Libya in 2004.
In the decade after claiming the title Ponomariov has scored impressive results, for instance finishing joint first in the 2006 Tal Memorial and outright first in Dortmund 2010 and the 2011 Ukrainian Championship, but his haul of victories in elite tournaments has been modest. Perhaps rather than his 2002 victory being an anomaly the knockout format that was in place back then was a perfect match for his talents, which include huge determination and nerves of steel. He proved it was no accident in subsequent knockout events, finishing runner-up in the 2005 World Cup, losing in the quarter-finals of the 2007 World Cup to the eventual winner Gata Kamsky, and losing the final of the 2009 World Cup to Gelfand only on tiebreaks. In 2011 he again lost to the eventual winner, Peter Svidler, this time in the semi-finals.
Lost your password? We'll send you a link to reset it!
We respect your privacy and data protection guidelines. Some components of our site require cookies or local storage that handles personal information.
Using chess24 requires the storage of some personal data, as set out below. You can find additional information in our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms of Website Use. Please note that your data settings can be changed at any time by clicking on the Data Settings link in the footer at the bottom of our website.
Comments 1
please 1 game with me