Ponomariov again!

Starting with two whites can be an advantage if you make good use of them!
Ruslan Ponomariov has shown the way and made a perfect start with a second win in two games.
This time he downed 'Mr. Solid' Vladimir Kramnik in a Catalan after playing a fine combination that ultimately led to a winning endgame.

Have a look at the game (see the attached pgn-file), especially the position when White played Bxd5! What an astonishing combination.

Here is a summary of the second round games.

Name	Rating	Country	Result	Name	Rating	Country	Opening	No. of Moves
Peter Leko	2734	HUN	0.5-0.5	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	2761	AZE	King's Indian Defence (Fianchetto Variation)	50
Le Quang Liem	2681	VIE	0.5-0.5	Arkadij Naiditsch	2684	GER	Queen's Gambit (Vienna System)	35
Ruslan Ponomariov	2734	UKR	1-0	Vladimir Kramnik	2790	RUS	Catalan (with ...Bb4)	36

Mamedyarov is in second place with a win and a draw behind Ponomariov.

Position	Name	Country	Rating	World Ranking	Points
1st	Ruslan Ponomariov	UKR	2734	14	2
2nd	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	AZE	2761	6	1.5
3rd	Le Quang Liem	VIE	2681	55	1
4th-6th	Vladimir Kramnik	RUS	2790	4	0.5
4th-6th	Peter Leko	HUN	2734	16	0.5
4th-6th	Arkadij Naiditsch	GER	2684	51	0.5

The average rating of the tournament is 2731 which makes it a category XX event. Naturally one of the strongest events of the year.

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