A middlegame lesson by Ivan Sokolov: The king on f8

by ChessBase
8/14/2022 – An experienced trainer, Ivan Sokolov just helped Uzbekistan to win the Chess Olympiad in Chennai. In his FritzTrainer series for ChessBase, he showcases a pragmatic style, focusing on general ideas rather than on specific lines. In a section focused on positions where Black has not castled but placed his king on f8, Sokolov analyses a game between Fabiano Caruana and Daniel Naroditsky. Out of a French Defence, Caruana never lets go of the initiative, and achieves a remarkable victory. | Photo: Austin Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club
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A strong initiative

An experienced trainer, Ivan Sokolov has worked with the Iranian team for a number of years, helping the likes of Alireza Firouzja and Parham Maghsoodloo to develop their talent. More recently, he was hired as captain of the youthful Uzbek team which impressed by taking home gold medals from the record-breaking Chess Olympiad in Chennai.

In his FritzTrainer series for ChessBase, Sokolov showcases a pragmatic style, focusing on general ideas rather than on specific lines. Doubtlessly, the lessons presented are immensely instructive for club players and experienced masters alike.

In volume 2 of his 4-part series on middlegames, the Dutchman explores four key themes from practical play — what to trade and what to keep, open files, creating crises and cases in which the king defends itself on f8.

In the section devoted to the king on f8, Sokolov looks at a game between Fabiano Caruana and Daniel Naroditsky from the 2017 US Chess Championship. Nariditsky plays the French Defence with black and places his king on f8 as early as on move 8. Caruana focuses on making the most of the initiative and ends up getting a remarkable, instructive victory.

Photo: Spectrum Studios / Saint Louis Chess Club

 

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!

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