Andrei Sokolov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andrei Sokolov |
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Andrei Sokolov, 2008
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| Full name | Andrei Yurievich Sokolov |
| Country | Soviet Union (until 1992) Russia (1992–2000) France (since 2000) |
| Born | 20 March 1963 Vorkuta, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1984) |
| FIDE rating | 2490 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2645 (January 1987) |
| Peak ranking | No. 4 (January 1987) |
Andrei Yurievich Sokolov was born on March 20, 1963, in Vorkuta, Soviet Union. He is a famous chess Grandmaster. In the late 1980s, he was one of the top chess players in the world. Andrei Sokolov is of Russian origin, but he now lives in France.
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Becoming a Chess Star
Andrei learned to play chess from his father, Yuri. His father was a Soviet Army officer and a chess expert. When Andrei was 6 years old, he found inspiration in a book of games by the famous chess player Alexander Alekhine.
Early Training and Coaches
At age 12, Andrei started attending chess schools in Moscow. He also visited the well-known Pioneer Palace, a place where many young talents trained. From 1975 to 1982, he trained a lot. His main coach during these years was Vladimir Yurkov.
Alexey Suetin, another senior coach, watched Andrei's progress closely. In 1981, Sokolov won a smaller chess championship in Moscow. He was known for being very focused and determined. Suetin described him as "a practical-minded chess player."
Andrei Sokolov's Chess Career
By 1982, Andrei's hard work started to pay off. He won the Junior World Chess Championship in Copenhagen. Other strong young players like Nigel Short were also in this tournament. At this time, Sokolov was an International Master. The winner of the Junior Championship automatically became an International Master. Later, this rule changed, and the winner would become a Grandmaster.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Andrei Sokolov earned his Grandmaster title in 1984. This was a great year for him. At just 21 years old, he surprised the chess world. He won the Championship of the Soviet Union on his very first try.
One impressive game was against former champion Alexander Beliavsky. Beliavsky attacked Andrei's king fiercely. But Sokolov stayed calm under pressure. He not only stopped the attack but also launched his own counter-attack and won the game. In 1984, he also finished second in a strong tournament in Novi Sad.
Playing for the Soviet Union
Andrei Sokolov represented the Soviet Union in the Chess Olympiads. These are big team chess tournaments. He played in Thessaloniki 1984 and Dubai 1986. He played very well in both events. His strong performances helped his team win two gold medals.
World Championship Challenge
The biggest moment in Sokolov's career was the 1987 World Championship cycle. He reached the final of the Candidates Tournament. To get there, he won matches against Rafael Vaganian and Artur Yusupov.
In the final match, he played against Anatoly Karpov. Unfortunately, Sokolov lost this match. He had beaten Karpov before in 1986. He felt he was too confident before the match. He called his defeat "very severe."
Peak Performance
Even after the loss, Sokolov was at his peak in 1987-1988. He was ranked as the third strongest player in the world. Only Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov were ahead of him. He even defeated Karpov again in 1988 at a World Cup event in Belfort.
However, he couldn't repeat his success in later World Championship cycles. In 1988, he lost his first match in the Candidates' tournament to Kevin Spraggett. In 1990, he didn't qualify for the Candidates' tournament.
In 1990, he had a strong comeback win at the Moscow Open. He finished ahead of famous players like Mikhail Tal. After this, he played less chess for a while.
Life in France
Andrei Sokolov moved to France and became a French citizen in 2000. He has played well in the French Chess Championship. In 2003, he tied for first place but lost in a playoff. In 2005, he finished tied for second.
He has also played for the French team in the Chess Olympiads. He represented France in 2002 and 2006. He also played for France in the European Team Chess Championship in 2003.
Notable Games
| This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
Andrei Sokolov played in the World Cup series from 1988 to 1989. He played in tournaments in Brussels, Belfort, Reykjavík, and Rotterdam. He finished 11th overall.
Here is an example of his clever play from a game in Brussels in 1989:
- Sokolov vs. Lajos Portisch
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Re8 11.Ng5 Rf8 12.Nf3 Re8 13.Nbd2 Bf8 14.a4 h6 15.Bc2 exd4 16.cxd4 Nb4 17.Bb1 c5 18.d5 Nd7 19.Ra3 c4 20.Nd4 Ne5 21.axb5 Qb6 22.Nxc4 Nxc4 23.Rg3 Bc8 24.b3 Ne5 25.Be3 Ng6 26.f4 Qd8 27.f5 Ne5 28.Qd2 a5 29.Bxh6 Qh4 30.Kh2 Bd7 31.Bg5 Qh5 32.Rf1 g6 33.Nc6 Bxc6 34.dxc6 Rab8 35.fxg6 fxg6 36.c7 Rbc8 37.b6 Qh7 38.Rxf8+ Rxf8 39.Qxd6 Nbc6 40.Bf6 Rxf6 41.Qxf6 Qd7 42.b7 1–0
