Ruslan Ponomariov GM

Ruslan Ponomariov - The Chess Grandmaster with a Tactical Flair

Once upon a chessboard, in the world of knights and kings, Ruslan Ponomariov emerged as a fierce Grandmaster recognized by FIDE. Known for taking calculated risks and employing a subtle mix of old-school chess wisdom and modern tactics, Ruslan has achieved a peak rapid rating of 2661 in early 2024—a rating that means he can probably spot mate threats before breakfast.

Playing Style & Stats

Ruslan is the kind of player who doesn’t give up early—his early resignation rate is zero, proving he’s as stubborn as a pawn marching to promotion. With an average of about 88 moves per win and even longer battles in losses, endurance is clearly one of his virtues. His endgame prowess shines through, appearing in over 96% of his games, showing he’s happy to grind it out right until the last piece falls.

When wielding White pieces, Ruslan has a neat 50% win rate, but things get trickier with Black, where his win rate drops to 20%. Still, his comeback rate is an amazing 100%, so don’t count him out just because he’s lost a piece — he’s the ultimate underdog cheerleader.

Ruslan’s best time to rumble over the board? Around 4 PM, when the brainwaves flow best. Though Fridays and especially Thursdays tend to be lucky days with win rates sometimes soaring over 66%. Weekends? Eh… Saturdays are a quiet day for him, with no wins recorded — maybe he’s out enjoying life instead of pawning queen sacrifices.

Favorite Openings & Opponents

Surface-level openings tell an incomplete story, but Ruslan’s Top Secret opening scoops a 66.67% win rate over 9 games — sounds like he’s got a few ninja openings up his sleeve. His only 100% win-rate opening is the elusive Sicilian Defense Nyezhmetdinov Rossolimo Attack, though it was tested just once, likely catching opponents off-guard.

He’s tangled most with beca95 (6 games), drags95 (5 games), and zlatan56 (4 games), with win rates varying dramatically — from a tough 33.33% against beca95 to a more comfortable 60% versus drags95. Curiously, Ruslan has yet to win against recent opponents like a-fier and kobalia, so maybe there’s room for some friendly rematches.

Recent Battles: A Peek Into The Trenches

On May 19, 2025, Ruslan (aka MashaPutina1985 online) secured a gritty win against yobdc by resignation after an intense Sicilian Defense Nyezhmetdinov Rossolimo Attack, demonstrating excellent positional play and patience. However, the same day saw a tough loss to Gabrielian_Artur, showing that even Grandmasters have those "Oops, didn’t see that coming" moments.

Summary

Ruslan Ponomariov’s chess journey is a blend of relentless grit, tactical wizardry, and a dose of humor — because, let’s face it, chess without a laugh after missing a knight fork is just pawn sacrifice. Whether it’s fighting to the bitter end in 100+ move duels or sneaking in surprise attacks with secret openings, Ruslan reminds us all that in chess, it’s not just about winning, but the thrill of the strategic dance.