Ponomariov - Mamedyarov Live!

Essent chess tournament live commentary by Goran Urosevic

Top rated players at the Essent Crown Group are set to play against each other in third round. Curious fact is that these +2700 heavyweights have met only once so far - Mamedyarov won as black at the 2006 Aerosvit Foros.

Ruslan Ponomariov can play both 1.e4 and 1.d4 and this makes it a bit harder for his opponents to prepare. On the other hand, Mamedyarov admitted during Sofia Mtel that his biggest problem is opening preparation, particularly with black pieces. He has good score in Kings Indian defence though, so maybe Ponomariov should start with 1.e4 where Mamedyarov is much more vulnerable. We shall see soon.