EP 482- GM Ivan Sokolov on Talent, Training and Modern Chess

About this episode

GM Ivan Sokolov discusses his experiences in chess, training, and the evolution of players like Javokhir Sindarov.

GM Ivan Sokolov is a former top-15 player who won major tournaments across multiple decades and became national champion of both Yugoslavia and the Netherlands. In classical chess, he scored memorable wins against Kasparov, Kramnik and Anand. In recent years, Ivan has become equally respected as a trainer and author. Most notably, he worked with the gold medal-winning Uzbek team at the 2022 Chess Olympiad, including GMs Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Given Sindarov’s recent success, Ivan reflects on how his game has evolved and why it was clear to him that Sindarov was both supremely talented and, at the time, somewhat unprofessional in his approach. Ivan recently released a new Chessable course, Self-Improvement for Advanced Players. We discuss chess improvement for professionals and amateurs alike, the proper role of a trainer in a player’s development, preparation in the Kasparov era versus today, and memories from his legendary career. This includes reflections on his close friendship with the late GM Jan Timman. It is always an honor to hear GM Sokolov’s stories and perspectives. 00:00 Introduction to Ivan Sokolov Prior interview with GM Ivan Sokolov…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Johnson

Guest: GM Ivan Sokolov

Topics covered

• chess improvement
• training
• talent
• chess history
• professional development
• personal experiences

Keywords

• chess
• training
• talent
• Sokolov
• Sindarov
• Kasparov
• Kramnik
• Anand
• Chess Olympiad
• self-improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Uzbek National Team, Chessable, Chessbase India

Places: Yugoslavia, Netherlands

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