Dortmund 2010, Round 5: Ponomariov Beats Mamedyarov, Leads
It was a very nice round today in Dortmund, with three decisive games. Sometimes Dortmund seems like a sort of Leko Memorial - not because he's dead, fortunately, but because the spirit of dull draws sometimes overtakes it. Unfortunately, it might be turning into a Leko Memorial of a different sort - he's playing so far like his career as an elite GM is at an end. He's still a pretty young guy (he's 30), so he has plenty of time to reinvent himself once or twice more and again seriously contend for the title.
But back to the tournament! After Ponomariov's loss yesterday, he fell half a point behind Mamedyarov. Today that was remedied in their head-to-head matchup, as Ponomariov gradually broke him down in an ending with each side having a rook, bishop and knight. At the start it was nearly even, but Ponomariov has had a well-deserved reputation as a grinder since his early teens, and his technical prowess paid off. He's now in clear first at the end of the first cycle with 3.5/5.
Mamedyarov is in second with 3/5, and he's joined there by tournament newcomer Le Quang Liem, who won his second straight game. He flat out outplayed Leko on the Black side of an Advance Caro-Kann, proving that his structural advantages meant more than Leko's prospects for developing an initiative.
Finally, and finally, Kramnik got his first win of the event, beating Naiditsch on the white side of a Catalan. Kramnik chose a pawn-grab line, and his opponent was unable to maintain his compensation. The key moment came when Naiditsch decided to "win" the exchange; in fact, this left him in a terrible position with a permanently offside rook that eventually cost him the game. The win brought Kramnik back to 50%, while Naiditsch and Leko are in the cellar with 1.5/5.
I believe tomorrow will be a rest day, and then they'll have their second round-robin starting Wednesday.
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