 Topalov of the World!
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In a dramatic finale to the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao last weekend, Veselin Topalov outplayed Vassily Ivanchuk to not only win the record-breaking $215,000 first prize but also turbo-boost his rating to become the new World #1.
With four wins, five draws and one loss, the Bulgarian proved to be the big in-form player in the richest tournament-ever, as he took the title by a big margin ahead of Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian, with the Norwegian teenager taking second place and $100,000 on tiebreak ahead of the Armenian.
The rating surge took Topalov to the top of Hans Arild Runde’s virtual live rating list - and with the official cut-off date for FIDE’s October list falling a few days after Bilbao, this mean Topalov once again tops the official world rankings to be published next week.
But all eyes were also on the opposite end of the table at Bilbao. Vishy Anand slumped big-time to finish last, as he ceded his coveted #1 spot to first Carlsen, Ivanchuk and then Topalov in the same week(!) - not exactly the best of preparations for the world champion with the first defence of his title coming up next month in Bonn, Germany, against challenger Vladimir Kramnik.
Chess.FM had unrivaled coverage throughout Bilbao with Mig Greengard hosting our live coverage each day, supported by his regular GM sidekicks of Joel Benjamin, Larry Christiansen, Nick de Firmian, Ronen Har-Zvi, Gregory Kaidanov, not to mention our very special guest commentator, four-time Russian champion Peter Svidler. We also had American Chess Journalist of the Year, Macauley Peterson giving us his unique video spin of all the action from Bilbao.
During our live broadcast, there’s also the New In Chess Trivia contest, where each day you could win ICC membership extensions and the top prize of a one year subscription to the best chess magazine in the world, New In Chess! You can view some of the highlights with our special 5 min preview clip from live Chess.FM during Bilbao - click here to discover just what all our members are raving about and what you are missing by not being a member of ICC!
The same Chess.FM team, plus more surprise top commentators will be here on ICC giving all our members the best move-by-move action from the “Battle in Bonn”, as Anand and Kramnik square off October 14th to November 2nd in their 12-game, $2 million plus world title match. Why not join all the action here at ICC Chess.FM by signing up for your 7-day trial membership now - don’t delay, sign-up today!
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Mondays: GM Ronen Har-Zvi "Unusual Queen Pawn Openings"
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In his “New Ideas in....” regular video series for ICC Chess.FM, GM Ronen Har-Zvi investigates the latest developments and trends in those downright annoying and unusual Queen Pawn openings that avoid the main battle-lines with 2 c4.
Are you searching for a quick-fix against the Colle-Zukertort, Torre Attack, London System, QB Attack with 2 Bg5, Stonewall Attack or perhaps the King's Fianchetto Attack with 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 g3 (without c4)? Then look no further as Ronen gives you an easy-to-play antidote to all those annoying 1 d4 openings.
Preview Part 1 |
Preview Part 2 |
Preview Part 3 |
Preview Part 4
To listen to the full videos, sign
up for membership!
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Tuesdays: Chess Talk with IM John Watson
Tune-in for Chess Talk with IM John Watson on ICC Chess.FM. John's weekly 60+ minute show will feature an interview with leading chess personalities. All shows run on demand for members after airing.
This week (Tue., Sept., 16), joining IM John Watson on Chess Talk is FIDE Master and former British Junior Champion, Dr. James Vigus. He’s a regular book reviewer and contributor to British Chess Magazine, and was editor of Dragon (Cambridge University Chess Magazine).
James is also an enthusiastic new author for Everyman Chess, with two well-received books to his name: The Pirc in Black and White, and his latest, Play the Slav.
Find below a selection of free 5-minute
previews of the latest shows. To listen to the full shows, sign up for membership! |
Wednesdays: Attack with LarryC!
 New
at ICC Chess.FM - Attack With LarryC! A
weekly 30 min+ show on Wednesdays at 15:00 EDT (and available on-demand thereafter for members), featuring
three-time U.S. Champion Larry Christiansen, one of the
most dangerous and respected attacking players of his generation.
Larry is a feared competitor and attacker
who authored two popular books that showcase his aggressive
style: Storming
the Barricades and Rocking
the Ramparts. And each week on his show, Larry
will feature various attacking motifs and themes and showing
you how best to play for mate.
Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Larry's latest
video. By popular demand from members, we are now archiving
previous Attack
with LarryC shows. This video is just one of the many
benefits of being a full member of ICC - so, sign
up for membership!
Thursdays: Ask the Renaissance Man
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Tune-in for "Ask the Renaissance Man" with National Master Dan Heisman every Thursday at 21:00 EDT. You send in the questions and Dan provides the answers every week on his Q&A show. Questions on tournament rules, opening play, chess books, chess politics, current events, and more!
Click
"Play Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Dan's
latest show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership! |
And this week for non-members, you can listen to the full show for free by clicking here. So, all the more reason to become a member now and get to listen each week to all the shows on ICC Chess.FM!
Thursdays: Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide
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In his weekly video lecture series
for ICC, Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide,
Boris investigates gambits old and new and show that,
while some may not be actively played on the grandmaster
circuit these days, they are all exciting to play
and at the same time instructive as they teach us
all about natural development of the pieces and tactics
in chess. GM Boris Alterman has just opened his
official blog where, among other things, he'll
be discussing some of his choices for his Gambit Guide.
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Show Previews:
Danish Gambit Part 1 Part
2
Evans
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
Cochrane
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Budapest
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Hennig-Schara
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Falkbeer
Counter Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Two
Knights Defence, Fried Liver Attack Part 1 Part
2
Two
Knights Defence, Traxler Counter-attack Part 1 Part
2 Part
3
Benko
Gambit Part 1 Part
2 Part
3 Part
4
Urusov
Gambit Part 1 Part 2
Max Lange Gambit Part 1
Part 2
Two Knights Morphy Attack Part 1
Part 2
Two Knights Chigorin Gambit Part I
Part 2 
To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
Israeli GM Boris Alterman is best known as a leading chess advisor for the multi-title
winning chess software program (Deep) Junior, where he specialized
in developing its opening book.
Fridays: GM Joel Benjamin "Game
of the Week"
 Three-time
U.S. Champion GM Joel Benjamin starts his
weekly show every Friday at 15:00 Server Time. Click "Play
Video" for a free 5 minute preview of Joel's latest
show. To listen to the full show, sign
up for membership!
Joel is regarded by many as one of
the best commentators and analysts' we have in the game
today, and each Friday he will be giving us his insight
and spin with his selection of Game of the Week.
This not-to-be-missed weekly video
series is exclusive for ICC members only -- so if you want
to get ahead of the game, get ready to tune-in! By popular
demand and requests from members, ALL
of Joel Benjamin's GOTW videos are available. Enjoy! |
Streetfighting Chess - Andrew Burnett
Streetfighting Chess is the exciting new book from three times East of Scotland Champion, Andrew Burnett.
A practical guide to attacking chess for club strength players, Streetfighting Chess will show how an aggressive approach to all aspects of the game can and will gain points.
Moreover, it is designed to install in the reader a new sense of adventure and, importantly, increased enjoyment of the game.
Published by Trinity Knights Publishing, 186 pages, soft cover.
Price $32.95 -  Buy now!
Chess Mazes 2 - Bruce Alberston
The Chess Puzzle for Everyone!
When the first volume of Chess Mazes was released, it was an immediate hit with both chess instructors and students. It was a completely new kind of chess puzzle to help develop your chessplaying visualization skills.
In Chess Mazes 2, author Bruce Alberston has created another 216 fascinating chess mazes. This book is geared for intermediate and advanced beginners. Designed to keep pace with a student’s increasing development, the chapters appear in progressive order of difficulty, and form kind of a chess course in itself.
As German International Grandmaster Karsten Mueller observed in his Introduction to the first volume, solving Chess Maze puzzles is "…excellent training to avoid one-move blunders!"
141 pages, soft cover.
Price $16.95 - Buy
now! |
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Berlin Wall, The - The Variation that Brought Down Kasparov by John Cox
The Berlin variation of the Spanish is one of the most popular openings among world class players. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 Black can play a completely sound opening based mainly on understanding rather than memorizing theory. Many opening books make this claim, but the scarcity of forcing lines in the Berlin mean that in this case it is true. The trick is to gain the requisite understanding, and this is where John Cox’s eloquent prose comes into its own. After reading his explanations it will be clear why this robust opening has gained the nickname The Berlin Wall.
Published by Quality Chess.
Price $34.95 - Buy
now!
St. Petersburg 1909 - Emanuel Lasker
The Famous Tournament Book by the Second World Chess Champion
One of the Great Chess Tournaments of All Time!
In February 1909, nineteen of the world’s best chessplayers gathered in St. Petersburg to play in one of the most famous tournaments in chess history. World Champion Emanuel Lasker topped the list of competitors, which also included Akiva Rubinstein, considered by many to be Lasker’s likely successor, Carl Schlechter, who would play one of the most famous matches against Lasker a year later, and many other of the “greats” of the era – Spielmann, Bernstein, Teichmann, Mieses and Tartakower, to name but a few.
This is the official tournament book – available for the first time in English in algebraic notation – written by Emanuel Lasker. He annotated all 175 games in the clear, instructive style that would become his trademark.
192 pages, soft cover.
Price $18.95 - Buy now!
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