diff --git a/lark/__init__.py b/lark/__init__.py
index d91a460..92f1c78 100644
--- a/lark/__init__.py
+++ b/lark/__init__.py
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ from .common import ParseError, GrammarError
 from .lark import Lark
 from .utils import inline_args
 
-__version__ = "0.2.8"
+__version__ = "0.2.9"
diff --git a/lark/parsers/earley.py b/lark/parsers/earley.py
index b808ff1..3c02332 100644
--- a/lark/parsers/earley.py
+++ b/lark/parsers/earley.py
@@ -224,7 +224,8 @@ class ApplyCallbacks(Transformer_NoRecurse):
             return Tree(rule.origin, children)
 
 def _compare_rules(rule1, rule2):
-    assert rule1.origin == rule2.origin
+    if rule1.origin != rule2.origin:
+        return 0
     c = compare( len(rule1.expansion), len(rule2.expansion))
     if rule1.origin.startswith('__'):   # XXX hack! We need to set priority in parser, not here
         c = -c