9/16/2025 – On 12 September, the sixth edition of the popular simultaneous chess series "Grandmaster Meets Amateurs" took place in the café of the Salzgitter-Bad Grammar School – featuring a world-class player: GM Ivan Sokolov. The Dutch-Bosnian grandmaster faced 31 opponents and showed an impressive form, scoring 30½–½. Only Jannes Haverlandt managed to withstand the pressure and secure a draw – surely an admirable achievement.
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Ivan Sokolov scores 30½ out of 31!
Sokolov himself emphasised that, for him, simultaneous exhibitions are not just a sporting competition but above all "a pleasant chess day" and an opportunity to meet people. In less than two and a half hours, he had finished all the games – a real "speedrun" simul!
Impressions from the simultaneous display in Salzgitter-Bad
The draw against Jannes Haverlandt (ChessBase tactical analysis)
Jannes Haverlandt was surely satisfied with his novelty, 10.c5!
Master your middlegame with the complete strategy series – now available as a bundle at a reduced price. Take your chance to save and improve! Master your middlegame with the complete strategy series – now available as a bundle at a reduced price. Take your chance to save and improve!
Following the wonderful simul in March with star guest Vincent Keymer, organiser Christian Koschetzki, who has kept this series of simuls alive with great commitment, and the Salzgitter Chess Association once again staged a splendid event.
Interview with Ivan Sokolov
In the interview with Arne Kaehler, Ivan Sokolov shared anecdotes from his youth, such as how at the age of seven he managed a draw against the newly crowned world champion Anatoly Karpov and later also played against Viktor Korchnoi.
For him, the biggest challenge is maintaining the pace and concentration for several hours - and yet, for everyone involved, it should mostly be "a pleasant chess day".
Pupils and teachers from the Salzgitter-Bad Grammar School and the nearby Kranich Grammar School, as well as club members, faced the grandmaster from Jajce, who in 2022 led the Uzbek national team to gold as a trainer in Chennai.
The school café is a wonderful playing venue
Those who lost did not have to be sad, as ChessBase provided consolation prizes: the complete collection of Ivan Sokolov's works, as well as the latest ChessBase Magazine issues, especially for the younger players. Every copy was signed by Sokolov!
In this video series, it's all about understanding middlegame strategies better. Pawn structures, manoeuvres and concepts are being shown through model games. New: now also available as stream!
Ivan Sokolov took the time to sign every one of his excellent training titles
When asked how to trip up the Dutch GM over the board, here were some of the answers:
"I just try to play as long as possible".
"He is bound to make a mistake at some point".
"I'll surely lose, but maybe I can learn something".
"Fighting for a draw seems realistic to me".
Thanks to the support of the Lower Saxony Lotto Sport Foundation and the Förderverein Salzgitter-Bad (Martin Gosch and Kevin Chant), this event can be organised every six months, and in 2026 a few top stars will surely walk the 10,000 to 20,000 steps around the boards.
The author of these lines tried to set many traps, which all fizzled out harmlessly
In the last game played, against Christian Tworuschka, the GM sat down. Nothing could go wrong here any more
In the background on the left, new headmaster Martin Ehrenberg and Jörg Tenninger of the Lower Saxony Chess Federation look on
The next simul in Salzgitter-Bad
Since this series of events takes place every six months, we can already look forward to March 2026! As Christian Koschetzki revealed to me, contact has already been made with several super-grandmasters who are willing to take part.
We at ChessBase are already very much looking forward to it.
This course will enhance your understanding of the King’s Indian Defence. Perfect for anyone looking to improve their opening strategy, reduce mistakes, and develop a winning game plan.
Arne KaehlerArne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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Jannes Haverlandt was surely satisfied with his novelty, 10.c5!
The school café is a wonderful playing venue
Ivan Sokolov took the time to sign every one of his excellent training titles
The author of these lines tried to set many traps, which all fizzled out harmlessly
In the last game played, against Christian Tworuschka, the GM sat down. Nothing could go wrong here any more
In the background on the left, new headmaster Martin Ehrenberg and Jörg Tenninger of the Lower Saxony Chess Federation look on
