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 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2645 (January 1987) |
| Peak ranking | No. 4 (January 1987) |
Andrei Yurievich Sokolov is a famous chess player, known as a Grandmaster. He was born in Russia in 1963 and later moved to France. In the late 1980s, he was one of the best chess players in the world.
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Early Life and Learning Chess
Andrei Sokolov learned to play chess from his father, Yuri. His father was a Soviet Army officer and a chess player himself. When Andrei was just 6 years old, he found inspiration in a book of games by the famous chess champion Alexander Alekhine.
At age 12, Andrei started attending one of the many chess schools in Moscow. He also sometimes visited the well-known Pioneer Palace, a place where many young talents developed their skills. From 1975 to 1982, he trained a lot, mainly with a famous coach named Vladimir Yurkov.
Alexey Suetin, another senior chess coach, watched Andrei's progress closely. Suetin described Andrei as a very focused and determined player. In 1981, Andrei won the minor championship of Moscow.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Andrei's hard work started to pay off in 1982. He won the Junior World Chess Championship in Copenhagen. At that time, he was an International Master with an Elo rating of 2450. Winning this championship automatically made him an International Master.
In 1984, Andrei achieved the highest title in chess: Grandmaster. This was an amazing year for him. He surprised the chess world by winning the Championship of the Soviet Union on his very first try. He showed great calm under pressure, even when facing strong attacks from opponents.
That same year, he also finished second at a big tournament in Novi Sad. His Elo rating went up to 2550, showing how much his skills had grown.
Playing for the Soviet Union
Andrei Sokolov represented the Soviet Union in two major team chess events called Chess Olympiads. He played in Thessaloniki in 1984 and Dubai in 1986. In both events, he played very well, winning about 67% of his games. His strong performances helped his team win two gold medals.
World Championship Challenge
The biggest moment in Andrei Sokolov's career was during the 1987 World Championship cycle. He made it all the way to the final of the Candidates Tournament. This tournament decides who gets to challenge the reigning World Champion.
To reach the final, he first qualified through an Interzonal tournament. Then, he won matches against strong players like Rafael Vaganian (6–2) and Artur Yusupov (7½–6½). However, in the final match, he lost to the legendary Anatoly Karpov with a score of 3½–7½. Even though he had beaten Karpov before, he felt too confident going into this match.
Despite this loss, Andrei's rating reached its highest point in 1987/88, at 2645. He was ranked as the third strongest player in the world, right behind Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. He even defeated Karpov again in 1988 at a World Cup event in Belfort.
After this peak, he wasn't able to repeat his success in later World Championship cycles. In 1988, he unexpectedly lost his first match in the Candidates' tournament. In 1990, he didn't qualify for the Candidates' tournament.
However, in 1990, he had a great comeback win at the Moscow Open. He finished ahead of many strong players, including Mikhail Tal. After this, he played less chess for a while.
Moving to France
Andrei Sokolov moved to France and became a French citizen in 2000. He has played in the French Chess Championship several times. 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 national team in the Chess Olympiads in 2002 and 2006. He also represented France at the European Team Chess Championship in 2003.
Images for kids
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Andrei Sokolov, 2008
