Ivan Sokolov is a former Yugoslav and Dutch chess Grandmaster. Born on 13th of June, 1968 in Jajce, SFR Yugoslavia, he became a chess Grandmaster in 1987. He was first drawn to the game of chess at the age of eight when he found a chess book while playing hide-and-seek.
Sokolov represented Yugoslavia in the Chess Olympiads of 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992. He won an individual gold medal at the 1988 Olympiad. After the Bosnian War, he migrated to the Netherlands where he represented the country in the Chess Olympiads of 2000, 2002 and 2004. In his career, he has won major chess tournaments on numerous occasions.
Ivan Sokolov has also authored several books on chess, which have gained high praise from various reviewers. He married Silvia Lanciotti, a Woman FIDE Master from Italy, who is also a regular contributor to various Italian chess magazines.