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Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine has just won the World Chess Championship by
beating Vasilly Ivanchuk in Moscow by 4 1/2 - 2 1/2.
In the final game, Ponomariov did not play it safe. Instead, he sacrificed
a pawn in the opening and launched a strong attack. In the final position,
Ivanchuk was clearly lost or losing, and so took a draw since Ponomariov
only needed a draw to win the world championship.
This may mark the beginning of a new era in chess. Ruslan Ponomariov was
born on 11 October 1983 and thus is 18 years old. He first came to the
notice of the chess world by becoming the youngest chess grandmaster in
history, much younger than Bobby Fischer was when he first became a
grandmaster.
In recent years, the top levels of world chess have been dominated by
Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. Ruslan Ponomariov is much younger than they
are and it could be that Ruslan Ponomariov will be the world chess champion
for many years to come.
It is also to be noted that the Woman's World Championship was contested by
a 17-year-old Russian girl, Alexandra Kosteniuk, although she lost in the
finals. This seems to be the beginning of a new era in chess, where new
young players are taking over at the top.
FIDE 2002 World Championship Final
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