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Ivan Sokolov is a Dutch Grandmaster and author of many popular chess books. He was Yugoslav champion in 1988 and Dutch champion in 1995 and 1998. As a player he was a fixture in the world's top 30 for two decades, reaching as high as number 12 in the world and beating five world champions in classical games:
Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Topalov and a young Carlsen.
But it's his second career that really sets him apart as an author. Sokolov coached the UAE, then Iran – working with Alireza Firouzja and Parham Maghsoodloo long before the rest of the world knew their names – and in 2022 he captained Uzbekistan's young squad to gold at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai.

Master your middlegame with the complete strategy series – now available as a bundle at a reduced price. Take your chance to save and improve!
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The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov – continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" – takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample videos: Introduction - Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1
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In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores one of the most intriguing and under-examined areas of modern chess: reversed opening systems, focusing on the Reversed Grünfeld and the Reversed Dutch. At first glance, these two systems seem unrelated. However, they share a common strategic challenge: the value of tempi, structure, and psychology when familiar openings are played with colours reversed. Drawing on his long professional experience, Sokolov explains why these positions are far more subtle than they appear and why traditional engine evaluations often fail to capture their true complexity.
Free sample videos: Introduction - Larsen’s b4 Plan vs Reversed Stonewall: Larsen - Spassky
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The King’s Indian Defence is one of the most dynamic openings in chess - and Pirc structures share much of the same DNA. With colours reversed (the King’s Indian Attack), these setups can be just as powerful. What may look modest at first often transforms into highly complex middlegames, where timing, precision, and a deep feel for dynamics make all the difference.
Free sample videos: Introduction - Misplaced Pieces
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