 Battleship Potkin wins Euro title
Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Potkin emerged from the logjam at the top to win the title of European Individual Champion in Aix-les-Bains, France at the weekend after drawing in the final round against Hungarian Judit Polgar, the strongest female player of all time.
Four players - Potkin, Polgar, Alexander Moiseenko (Ukraine) and Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland) - tied for first on 8.5/11, but Poitken, who led from start to finish after getting off to a flyer by winning his first five games, edged out the others to clinch the title on tiebreaks with a superior performance rating.
The final round though proved to be something of an anti-climax for all those viewing the games live here at ICC, as there were many short "GM draws" among the leading pack at the top. But this had much to do with the simple fact that players were more interested in qualifying for the Fide World Cup scheduled for August/September in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, rather than risking a bigger payday.
The top 23 finishers qualified for the World Cup, but, as Potkin, Peter Svidler and Rauf Mamedov had already gone forward elsewhere, so joining Polgar, Moiseenko and Wojtaszek were those finishing up to 26th place, including the likes of England's Luke McShane, Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain) and Daniel Fridman (Germany). The most notable players to miss out on the World Cup included current Russian champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, David Navara (Czech Rep) and Fabiano Caruana (Italy). A full list of all the qualifiers can be found at the official site at http://www.aixlesbains2011.fr/
Every Russian Schoolboy Knows
Yermolinsky
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Former World Champion and legendary chess trainer Mikhail Botvinnik was the originator of the "Every Russian school boy knows" chess aphorism, which alluded to the fact that thousands of unknown schoolboys back in Russia - due to the intense training methods they received from a young age - likely knew more about the game than most professionals did in the West.
One player who came through the legendary Soviet training methods is former U.S. Champion GM Alex Yermolinsky. And on the first Monday of each month, in a brand new series for Chess.FM, "Every Russian Schoolboy Knows", Alex will try to best explain the tips and tricks he learned during those training methods. For non-members, we've included today a free 5 minute preview of this exciting new show - to view in full, join ICC now by clicking here.
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Episode 1 - 24:28
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ICC on the iPad
The long wait is finally over: ICC has released its dedicated iPad App "Chess at ICC HD", that will now bring to your fingers the full power of the best online chess service. Click HERE to check it out!
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This is an invaluable chess companion for players of all levels, from beginner to the strongest master. It's a fun way to play chess and improve your game. It's also a great way to meet people from around the world.
 
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Last week ICC revamped their Facebook page - and we've had a great response from members and non-members looking to take part in the activities there, where we'll shortly be offering prizes and special membership offers.
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