Wijk aan Zee Storytellers (4) - Ivan Sokolov

by ChessBase
1/28/2021 – In the fourth part of the "Wijk aan Zee Storytellers" series, Eric van Reem, host of the "Let's talk about chess" podcast, talks to GM Ivan Sokolov, who shares memories of playing against Kasparov and meeting Valery Salov and reveals what he thinks about the young talents in Wijk.
These DVDs are about Understanding Middlegame Strategies. In the first DVD dynamic decisions involving pawns are discussed. The second DVD deals with decision making process concerning practical play.

In this fourth episode of the "Wijk aan Zee Storytellers" series, Eric van Reem talks to GM Ivan Sokolov, who played twelve times in the highest group of the tournament in Wijk aan Zee, in which he played 134 games. He played his most famous game in 1999 in Wijk aan Zee against GM Garry Kasparov, who was in the lead with 7,5/8 and had just played one of the most spectacular games ever against Veselin Topalov.

However, Sokolov crushed Kasparov in round 9 and shocked Kasparov and the chess world.

 
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The analysis to this game are extracts from Sokolov's book, "The Strategic Nimzo Indian." 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.a3 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Qc7 10.Qc2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 e5 12.Bd3 Re8 13.e4 A tricky move which has served yours truly very well. It leads to forced complications. Provided the black player is well prepared and remembers the right reaction over the board, he has nothing to worry about and White can actually easily become worse. exd4! 14.cxd4 Bg4 15.e5 Bxf3 16.exf6 Nxd4 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.fxg7+ Kxg7 19.Bb2 Rad8 20.gxf3 Rh8 Due to White's weak king, Black regains his piece and still has the better pawn structure. However, matters are far from simple. 21.Kh1 The immediate capture of the white bishop may look logical, but it keeps the black king under an unpleasant pin along tbe a1-h8 diagonal and is not to be recommended. However, it does look logical and this mistake can be committed by the world's very best. Rxh7 22.Rg1+ Kh8 23.Rg3 Qe5 24.Rag1 Rh4?! 24...Qh5 25.R1g2 f6 was a better defence. 25.Qc1 Kh7? This is not a position to lose tempi in, however Kasparov clearly did not like his position here and was far from his confident self. 26.Qb1+ Kh8 27.Qf1 Qe6 28.Qg2 White has tripled on the g-file and will deliver mate on the next move. That was one of the most beautiful moments in my chess career. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Sokolov,I2610Kasparov,G28121–01999Hoogovens9

He talks a bit about that game, but there are other, sometimes hilarious stories to tell. Sokolov also talks about the 2021 edition of the event and tells us why he is not surprised that the youngsters play such a great tournament this year.

Ivan Sokolov (1968) is a Bosnian-born Dutch chess player, coach and writer. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster (GM) by FIDE in 1987. Sokolov won the 1988 Yugoslav Championship and in 1995 and 1998 the Dutch Championship. The former world top player defeated no less than 6 world champions.

You can follow GM Ivan Sokolov on Twitter.

All the information about the tournament and links that will guide you to the right place, can be found on the official website of the tournament. TATA Steel Chess is also on Twitter. Use the hashtag #tatasteelchess.

Have a look at the statistics here: All time statistics.

All crosstables and more information about the event in Wijk aan Zee can be found on the Wikipedia site.


Host       : Eric van Reem
Guest     : GM Ivan Sokolov (NED)
Editor     : Dennis van Reem
Artwork  : Fränk Stiefel
Music     : Chess Pieces-Silent Partner

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