Interview: Captain Ivan Sokolov - on coaching Gold-Winning Uzbek Chess Squad

Ivan Sokolov, by Frank Hoppe Public domain

GM Ivan Sokolov, a former top player himself, was the coach of the gold-winning Uzbek team at the Olympiad in Chennai, India. In an interview with Chess.com, the Dutch-Bosnian grandmaster reveals what it's like to work with prodigies who have taught him something about chess as well.

Born and raised in Bosnia (then Yugoslavia, now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina), he was one of the millions who left or fled the country during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. He settled in the Netherlands in 1992, which was a much more chess-loving country then when it had five or six annual grandmaster tournaments. His Dutch residence also made it easier for Sokolov to travel to tournaments abroad.

source: Chesscom


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