Andrei Sokolov
Notable Games

Andrei Sokolov

17 celebrated games · 839 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 839 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1981 Sokolov, Andrei vsVeingold, Aleksandr 1-0 Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Main Line 32 moves URS A 1981 game in the Soviet Union against Aleksander Veingold in the Modern Variation of the Alekhine Defense. 15.f5 exf5 16.Qf3 gives up a pawn, 19.e6 Nd4 20.exf7+ Rxf7 21.Qxb7 is the sequence Garry Kasparov quotes in *My Great Predecessors, Part IV*, and 32.Qc4+ ends the game in 32 moves.
  • 1982.08.18 Sokolov, Andrei vsHansen, Curt 1-0 Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation 37 moves World U20-ch21 World Junior Championship, Copenhagen 1982, round six, against Curt Hansen, the World Junior Champion two years later, in the Scandinavian Defense. 10.Nh4 and 11.Nxg6 win the bishop pair, 17.Bc7 Qxc7 18.Nxc7 Kxc7 gives bishop and knight for the queen, and 37.Kf4 ends the game in 37 moves. Sokolov won the championship.
  • 1983.09 Sokolov, Andrei vsSalov, Valery 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line 30 moves URS-ch51 Semifinal Semifinal of the 51st USSR Championship, Nikolaev 1983, round seven, against Valery Salov in the Sozin Attack of the Sicilian. 13.Nf5 b5 14.Bd5 Bb7 15.g5 is the line Garry Kasparov traces to this game, 18.Rxg7+ Kxg7 19.Rg1+ gives up a rook to open the king, and 30.Ne7+ forks king and queen to end the game in 30 moves.
  • 1984.04.27 Beliavsky, Alexander G vsSokolov, Andrei 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation 34 moves URS-ch51 Final 51st USSR Championship, Lviv 1984, round 17, against the former World Junior Champion Alexander Beliavsky in the Taimanov Sicilian. 23...d5 opens the center, 26.Ra3 Bxa3 27.bxa3 wins the exchange for Black, and 34...Re2+ ends the game in 34 moves. Sokolov won the championship.
  • 1985.11.01 Sokolov, Andrei vsRibli, Zoltan 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Amsterdam Variation 41 moves Candidates Tournament Montpellier Candidates Tournament, Montpellier 1985, round 14, against Zoltan Ribli in the Najdorf Sicilian. 15.g4 and 16.g5 start a kingside attack, 23.Rh3 and 24.f5 add the rook and the f-pawn, 35.Nxh5 gxh5 36.Qxh5 gives up a knight, and 41.Qxf8+ ends the game in 41 moves.
  • 1986 Vaganian, Rafael A vsSokolov, Andrei 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Classical Defense 53 moves Candidates qf1 Candidates quarterfinal, Minsk 1986, game three, against Rafael Vaganian in the Nimzo-Indian Defense. 18...f5 and 35...f4 advance the f-pawn, 48...Qe3+ brings the queen in, 50...Bxb4 wins a pawn, and 53...Bc4 ends the game in 53 moves. Sokolov won the match 6–2.
  • 1986.05 Sokolov, Andrei vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed 43 moves Bugojno Bugojno 1986, round four, against Anatoly Karpov in the Closed Ruy Lopez. 13.Nbd2 turns down a repetition, 27.f4 and 28.f5 advance on the kingside, 32.Bxg7 Bxg3 33.Rxg3 Kxg7 34.f6+ drives the king to h8, and 43.Bh5 ends the game in 43 moves, Karpov's only loss of the tournament.
  • 1986.07 Sokolov, Andrei vsKhalifman, Alexander 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Classical Variation 45 moves URS-chT Republics 18th Group2 USSR Team Championship, Minsk 1986, against the future FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman in the Dragon Sicilian. 23.Rxa7 and 24.Rxe7 take two pawns, 32.Bxg7 Kxg7 leaves rook against knight, and 45.Ra7 ends the game in 45 moves.
  • 1986 Sokolov, Andrei vsYusupov, Artur 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation, Smyslov Variation 41 moves Candidates sf Candidates semifinal, Riga 1986, game 11, against Artur Yusupov in the Winawer French. 20.h4 and 22.h5 advance the h-pawn, 31.Bxg5 hxg5 32.Nxg5 gives a bishop for two pawns, and 41.Ra8 ends the game in 41 moves. It was the first of three wins in a row with which Sokolov came back from 4–6 to win the match 7½–6½.
  • 1988 Sokolov, Andrei vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed 42 moves World Cup World Cup, Brussels 1988, round 13, against Lajos Portisch in the Closed Ruy Lopez. 19.Ra3 and 23.Rg3 bring the rook to the kingside, 26.f4 and 27.f5 follow, 33.Nc6 Bxc6 34.dxc6 creates a passed pawn that reaches c7, and 42.b7 ends the game in 42 moves.
  • 1988.06 Sokolov, Andrei vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Caro-Kann Defense: Karpov Variation 75 moves World Cup World Cup, Belfort 1988, round one, against Anatoly Karpov in the Karpov Variation of the Caro-Kann. 46.Rxf7 and 52.Nxe6 win pawns, 56...d1=Q+ 57.Rxd1 Rxd1 leaves a knight and four pawns against rook and pawn, 62.Nxf6 takes the last black pawn, and 75.Kg6 ends the game in 75 moves.
  • 1988.10 Sokolov, Andrei vsKasparov, Garry 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Amsterdam Variation 44 moves World Cup World Cup, Reykjavik 1988, round seven, against the World Champion Garry Kasparov in the Najdorf Sicilian. 15.g4 and 16.g5 begin the kingside play, 37...Bh5 allows 38.Rf8+ Rxf8 39.Qxg5, which wins the black queen for a rook, and 44.Rf2 ends the game in 44 moves.
  • 1989 Sokolov, Andrei vsGelfand, Boris 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Flank Variation 64 moves URS-ch56 56th USSR Championship, Odessa 1989, against the future world championship challenger Boris Gelfand in the Sozin Sicilian. 19.Rxf8+ Bxf8 20.Rf1 Qe7 21.e5 is the attack Garry Kasparov later cited, 30.Be7 Qxe7 31.Rxe7 Bxe7 gives rook and bishop for the queen, and 64.h5 ends the game in 64 moves.
  • 1993 Leko, Peter vsSokolov, Andrei 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Matanovic Attack 56 moves Pamplona 9394 4th Pamplona 1993/94, round four, against the future world championship challenger Peter Leko in the Matanovic Attack of the Scheveningen Sicilian. 24...Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Rf8 26.Qxf8+ Kxf8 leaves queen and knight against two rooks, 50.Rxe3 Qg1+ 51.Kb2 Qxe3 trades the knight for a rook, and 56.Re4 ends the game in 56 moves.
  • 1998.07.31 Sokolov, Andrei vsGrischuk, Alexander 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed 54 moves RUS-ch51 51st Russian Championship, St Petersburg 1998, round four, against Alexander Grischuk, later a World Blitz Champion, in the Closed Ruy Lopez. 28.Bxc5 wins a pawn, 47.Qxc3 leaves queen and knight against queen and bishop, and 54.Qxb7 takes the bishop to end the game in 54 moves.
  • 1999.01.11 Minasian, Ara vsSokolov, Andrei 0-1 Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Westerinen Attack 24 moves Linares Anibal op 06th Anibal Open, Linares 1999, round four, against Ara Minasian in the Sicilian Defense. 20...Nxf2 21.Kxf2 Qxh2 gives up a knight against the king, 22...Rxf3 and 23...Raf8 leave the queen to 24.Nxh2, and 24...Nxd4+ ends the game in 24 moves.
  • 2007.08.13 Fontaine, Robert vsSokolov, Andrei 0-1 Bogo-Indian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation 33 moves FRA-ch French Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2007, round one, against Robert Fontaine in the Bogo-Indian Defense. 16...Ra2 reaches the second rank, 26...Qxf2+ breaks in, 29...Qxh2+ 30.Rxh2 Rxh2+ gives up the queen, and 32...Nh2+ 33.Ke1 Re2# ends the game with checkmate in 33 moves.
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