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ICC Weekly Newsletter Vol. III - Issue XL October 3, 2008it
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Win More Games Who's on First?

Win More Games

The recent Grand Slam Final in Bilbao proved to be one of the strongest tournaments ever, yet it threw into question just who REALLY is the best player right now.

Norwegian teen ace, Magnus Carlsen led after four rounds and also became #1 on the virtual live ratings for players 2700 and over, which are fast gaining more credibility in the chess world over the official FIDE quarterly lists.

But then Carlsen lost twice so the top spot went to Ukrainian Vasily Ivanchuk and then, in the final rounds to Veselin Topalov, with the Bulgarian now heading the FIDE October list published this week. And added into the mix as to who's on first Abbot & Costello-style, a few weeks before Bilbao, at the Tal Memorial in Moscow, Alexander Morozevich was king for a day before being ceremoniously dethroned after losing to Ivanchuk - and Moro again has the chance to become numero uno on the live list, as he plays in the Russian Championship Super Final in Moscow that's currently being relayed live each day here at ICC.

And what of the mediocre performances of late from former top dogs Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik? Both have fallen dramatically from grace at Bilbao and the Tal Memorial to be respectively #5 and #6 - all of which calls into question the credibility of their $2m world title match starting soon in Bonn.

FIDE Top 10: 1. V. Topalov, 2791 (+14); 2. A. Morozevich, 2787 (-1); 3. V. Ivanchuk, 2786 (+5); 4. M. Carlsen, 2786 (+11); 5. V. Anand, 2783 (-15); 6. V. Kramnik, 2772 (-16); 7. L. Aronian, 2757 (+20); 8. T. Radjabov, 2751 (+7); 9. P. Leko, 2747 (+6); 10. D. Jakovenko, 2737 (+26)

 Battle of Bonn - it's the final countdown!

World ChampionshipWe're now in the final countdown to the biggest chess showdown of the year, as world champion Vishy Anand (India) defends his title against former champion Vladimir Kramnik (Russia).

The 12-game, $2 million plus match will run October 14th to November 2nd in the Art and Exhibition Hall in Bonn, Germany, under the patronage of German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrük, and sponsored by Evonik Industries AG.

Game 1: Tuesday, October 14
Game 2: Wednesday, October 15
Game 3: Friday, October 17
Game 4: Saturday, October 18
Game 5: Monday, October 20
Game 6: Tuesday, October 21
Game 7: Thursday, October 23
Game 8: Friday, October 24
Game 9: Sunday, October 26
Game 10: Monday, October 27
Game 11: Wednesday, October 29
Game 12: Friday, October 31
Tiebreak (if needed): Sunday, November 2

Chess.FM will have unrivaled coverage throughout in Bonn, 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 some top-flight surprise guest commentators. Also in Bonn reporting for Chess.FM will be American Chess Journalist of the Year, Macauley Peterson, who will be giving us his unique video spin of all the action.

During our live broadcast, there will be the ever-popular 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! ICC members will also be able to take part in the shows and win ICC membership extensions by Skyping in questions each day that will be broadcast on air.

You can view some of the highlights of live Chess.FM with a special 5 min preview clip from the recent Grand Slam Final in Bilbao - click to discover just what all our members are raving about and what you are missing by not being a member of ICC! So get ready for the Battle of Bonn by following all the action here at ICC Chess.FM - sign up for your free trial membership today!

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National Master Dan Heisman's "Improve Your Chess II"

Heisman - Improve Your Chess II

National Master Dan Heisman is a name that is synonymous with excellence in chess coaching and teaching. Dan authors the award-winning Novice Nook column (winner of three Chess Journalists of America "Best Instruction" awards), aimed at improving adults, for chesscafe.com that are clearly written and offer very practical advice and tips on how to improve your game.

He has also written eight (with more in the pipeline) acclaimed teaching books on the game, including Back to Basics: Tactics, Everyone's 2nd Chess Book, and Looking for Trouble.

Over the years, Dan has produced many winning students and scholastic teams - and now he can help you, too! Earlier in the year, Dan released Improve Your Chess I, a series of five highly-rated instructional videos for ICC Chess.FM, bringing you his innovative teaching methods on how to play better chess. Now, in a follow-up comes a new five-part series Improve Your Chess II, all packed with more advice and helpful tips from the maestro himself.

The five videos (with free 5 min previews for each) are:
1. King, Pawn and ? vs King
2. Learning Tabiyas The Closed Ruy Lopez
3. Evaluation Criteria
4. The Seeds of Tactical Destruction
5. Theory of Chess Improvement

To view all the videos in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

Mondays: GM Ronen Har-Zvi's "Unusual Queen Pawn Openings"

Ronen - Unusual Queen Pawn Openings

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.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

To view all the videos in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

Tuesdays: Chess Talk with IM John Watson

John Watson Show 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., 30), joining John on Chess Talk is award-winning author, columnist, coach and Chess.FM's "Ask the Renaissance Man" Q&A show host, Dan Heisman. Dan's name has become synonymous with teaching in the game. He has written eight acclaimed teaching books, including Back to Basics: Tactics, Everyone's 2nd Chess Book, and Looking for Trouble. Earlier in the year, Dan released Improve Your Chess I, a series of five highly-rated instructional videos for ICC Chess.FM, bringing you his innovative teaching methods on how to play better chess. Now, in a follow-up, he's just released a new five-part series Improve Your Chess II.

Click here for free 5-minute preview of the latest show with Dan Heisman. To listen to all the shows in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

Wednesdays: Attack with LarryC!

Attack with LarryCNew 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. To view all the videos in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

Thursdays: Ask the Renaissance Man

Heisman  

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. To listen to all the shows in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

Thursdays: Boris Alterman's Gambit Guide

Boris Alterman  

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.

Latest Show Previews: Two Knights Chigorin Gambit Part I   Part 2   Part 3  Part 4 

To view all the videos in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today!

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"

GM Joel Benjamin Game of the WeekThree-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. To view all the videos in full, sign-up for your free trial membership today! By popular demand and requests from members, ALL of Joel Benjamin's GOTW videos are available. Enjoy!

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Streetfighting Chess - Andrew Burnett

ICC StoreIt is very important for the practical player to train his or her ability, understand when to rely on intuition, rules of thumb and more general positional considerations, when to try to solve the problems by calculating variations to the end, and how to manage time to avoid time pressure. With these goals in mind, Dvoretsky's Analytical Manual delivers a lot of excellent, high quality training material and many exercises. The author discusses every problem from the perspective of the practical player, gives many general guidelines and investigates psychological aspects in depth.

This book takes its place next to the author's classic work on endings, Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, as being one of the great chess books of the modern era, a book from which the serious student may take his or her knowledge and understanding of complex middlegame ideas to the next level.

420 pages, soft cover

Price: $32.95 - it  Buy now!

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My 60 Memorable Games - Bobby Fischer

ICC Store A rare window into the mind of a chess icon, My 60 Memorable Games is perhaps the most inspirational and influential chess book ever written. First published in 1969, it contains Bobby Fischer's objective, honest and self-critical annotations to games he had won, drawn and even lost in the period from 1957 to 1967 but from which he had also learned valuable lessons. Reading Fischer's intensely personal commentaries is like going back in time and watching live coverage of his over-the-board battles with the leading players of his day. Soon he would become the greatest of them all.

In contrast with the previous edition of this book, no alterations have been made to the text other than the conversion of moves into algebraic notation, making this an updated yet accurate reflection of the original book.

Price: $27.95 - it  Buy now!

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Secrets of Opening Surprises Volume 9 - Bosch

ICC Store Brings you a wide variety of unusual opening ideas. They may seem outrageous at fi rst sight, but have proven to be perfectly playable.

An SOS deviates very early from the regular lines in a mainstream opening, usually even before move six! That is why it is so easy to actually bring the variation on the board. You will baffle your opponent without having studied large quantities of stuffy theory.

144 pages, soft cover

Price: $20.95 - it  Buy now!

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Genius and the Misery of Chess, The - Zhivko Kaikamjozov

ICC StoreZhivko Kaikamjozov is a Bulgarian chess master, organizer, trainer, referee, journalist and author. This is his 33rd title!

47 Chess Greats are briefly described in an unusual fashion. Focus is not only on their glorous feats but also on their misery, which unfortunately many of them suffered from. Kaikamjozov writes about As-Suli the Exile (880-946), Greco, Morphy, Walbrodt, Noteboom, Breyer, Junge & Stolberg (both perished in WW II), Petrov, Fischer, Kasparov, Koneru, Carlsen and many many other stars.

224 pages, Published by Mongoose Press

Price: $18.95 - it  Buy now!

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