In 2007, he won the European Individual Chess Championship, held in Dresden, following a play-off with GMs Emil Sutovsky, Dmitry Jakovenko and Ivan Cheparinov.

He was reportedly intoxicated and, after passing out repeatedly during the first hour of play, was forced to forfeit the game after eleven moves on technical grounds.

With the intention of promoting chess worldwide and attracting the interest of media and sponsors, Vladislav and his brother Evgeny created a website that hosted the competition.

A judging panel was made up of a wider selection of chess grandmasters, including Nigel Short, who along with some women players like Jennifer Shahade, supported the idea behind the venture.

Amongst the more noted chess players featured in the contest were Natalija Pogonina, Maria Manakova, Almira Skripchenko and Elisabeth Pähtz.