Nina Sokolov: Level 94 Chess Rival (2364 ELO)

Queen tier · Ex-GM Trainee · plays the Sicilian Najdorf

• Level: 94 of 100
• Tier: Queen
• Rating: 2364 ELO
• Opening: Sicilian Najdorf
• Style: Ex-GM Trainee
• From: Iran
• Age: 63
• Plays: Black (you have White)

How Nina plays

Nina spent years training under a grandmaster coach, and her play still carries the stamp of that education: careful, mature and deeply informed. At 63, from Iran, she knows the strategic ideas of the Najdorf the way few players do, from the ...e5 structures with their fight for d5 to the Scheveningen setups with ...e6 and ...Qc7. She rarely makes a strategic error in her own opening.

She is happiest in rich middlegames where understanding matters more than memorised lines, and she tends to outplay opponents who reach those positions without a clear idea. Nina is less comfortable in very concrete, forcing lines that require precise defence move after move. Her experience is in plans, not in long sequences of only-moves, and a sustained direct attack against her king is the most demanding test you can set her.

At 2364 ELO, Nina plays at master strength. Outright blunders are rare, so you need a sound opening, a clear plan and accurate calculation in sharp moments. A draw against her is a good result; a win means you played a very good game.

Sicilian Najdorf: the line Nina plays

Nina plays the Sicilian Najdorf: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6. The book covers White's main tries, from the quiet 6.Be2 to the English Attack (6.Be3) and the sharp 6.Bg5. Expect ...e5 or ...e6, queenside play with ...b5, and a fight over the d5 square.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Be3 Be6

• 5...a6: ...a6 is the Najdorf move: it stops Nb5 and Bb5 and prepares ...b5.
• 6...e5: ...e5 kicks the knight from d4 and claims central space, at the cost of a hole on d5.
• 7...Be7: ...Be7 prepares castling. Black aims for ...Be6 to contest d5.
• 9...Be6: ...Be6 eyes d5 and c4. The fight for d5 decides this structure.

Learn it move by move: Sicilian Najdorf walkthrough

How to beat Nina

1. Try the Sozin with 6.Bc4. The bishop aims at e6 and f7 and leads to direct attacking play where concrete calculation counts more than strategic understanding.
2. In ...e5 structures, the backward d6 pawn is a fixed target. Put a rook on the d-file and a knight on b3 or f3 to keep pressure on it for the whole game.
3. Watch for ...Nbd7-c5 hitting e4 and your b3 knight. Keep e4 well defended with f3 or Bd3 so the manoeuvre does not gain her a tempo.
4. In the 6.Be2 lines White's whole plan is the d5 square: trade the bishop that defends it (often with Bg5xf6) and land a knight there. If you want a sharper game, the English Attack (Be3, f3, Qd2, long castling, g4) is the classic way to race their queenside play.
5. The book answers 1.e4, including anti-Sicilians like 2.Nc3 and 2.c3. Open 1.d4 and she is out of book from the start.

What beating Nina teaches you

Nina teaches you to test a strategic opponent with sustained attacking pressure, where every move must be precise rather than merely sensible.

Neighbours on the ladder

• Stefan Bianchi: level 93
• Rafael Holmberg: level 95