In 2005 the Macedonian Grandmaster made his debut in Corus with a powerful win in the C group (10.5/13). He couldn’t realize one of his rewards – the elevation to group B in 2006, because he was waiting on his US green card, and could not leave the States. The Corus organizers allowed him to defer and allow him to exercise his earned right in 2007.

A former coach and second of Women’s world champion GM Stefanova (an experienced he co-authored a book on), the soft-spoken Georgiev is a die-hard tournament player and a veteran of many opens. He spent over a year teaching chess to school kids in Chicago, before he decided he’d rather be a full time player again. He is a very practical, confident player, who likes to rely on his over-the-board ability rather than deep home preparation.

After two years of confinement to playing tournaments mostly in the US, with few exceptions, Vladko is back on the European scene. He had a mediocre Olympiad (5/11) and had a good showing in Athens (6.5/9). As these words are written, he is participating in a strong event in Croatia. His obvious hunger to play makes him a welcome addition to the event.