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U.S. CHESS CHAMPS

HOME OF U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP CHESS & THE COUNTRY’S TOP PLAYERS

Sam Shankland

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Title:
  • Grandmaster
Rating:
  • 2622
Federation:
  • USA
Age:
  • 27
Bio:
  • Born in 1991, in Berkeley, California, Sam learned how to play chess at the age of six but did not become a tournament player until the age of eleven. Even with his relatively late start, Sam rose to prominence quickly, earning the title of the Grandmaster in 2001 and establishing himself as one of the top American players. After losing his first two games in the 2010 US Junior Championship, he went on to win six out of the remaining seven games. He earned the title of the US Junior champion by defeating Ray Robson in the playoffs and thus qualifying to the 2011 US Championship, where he finished third. Two years later, Sam won the prestigious Samford Fellowship and made his debut for the US national team in the Pan American Team Championship, showing a performance of over 2800. The following year he returned as part of the Olympiad team, where he took gold for his performance as reserve player. He went undefeated, scoring 9/10, including a last round win over the legendary Judit Polgar. Sam played fourth board in the 2016 Chess Olympiad, winning team gold. 2018 was a breakthrough year in his career. In April, he won the US Championship ahead of Caruana, Nakamura, and So, crossing the 2700 rating barrier for the first time. In the next months, he won the Capablanca Memorial and the American Continental Chess Championship, which earned him a spot to the 2019 World Cup. Since crossing 2700, Sam has reached the rating of 2731 which puts him in the top 25 in the world.

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Past Events

2025
  • 2025 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2025 American Cup
  • 2025 Champions Showdown: The Kings
2024
  • 2024 U.S. National Championships
  • 2024 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2024 Cairns Cup
  • 2024 Summer Chess Classic
  • 2024 American Cup
  • Today in Chess: 2024 FIDE Candidates
2023
  • 2023 American Cup
  • 2023 Cairns Cup
  • 2023 Saint Louis Super Swiss
  • 2023 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2023 Summer Chess Classic
  • 2023 U.S. Championships
  • 2023 U.S. National Championships
  • 2023 Winter Classic
2022
  • 2022 U.S. Championships
  • 2022 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX
  • 2022 Fall Chess Classic
  • 2022 U.S. National Championships
  • Today in Chess: 2022 FIDE Candidates
  • 2022 Summer Chess Classic
  • 2022 Saint Louis Norm Congress
  • 2022 American Cup
  • 2022 Spring Chess Classic
2021
  • 2021 U.S. Championships
  • 2021 U.S. Senior Championship
  • 2021 U.S. Junior Championships
  • 2021 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX
2020
  • Today in Chess: 2020 FIDE Candidates
  • 2020 U.S. Championships
  • 2020 Champion Showdown: Chess 9LX
  • 2020 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
  • 2020 Clutch Chess: International
  • 2020 Clutch Chess: USA
  • 2020 Cairns Cup
2019
  • 2019 Saint Louis Invitational
  • 2019 Winter Chess Classic
  • 2019 Midwest Collegiate
  • 2019 Fall Chess Classic
  • 2019 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX
  • 2019 U.S. Senior Championship
  • 2019 U.S. Junior Championship
  • 2019 U.S. Girls Junior Championship
  • 2019 Summer Chess Classic
  • 2019 Saint Louis Norm Congress
  • 2019 U.S. Championships
  • 2019 US Collegiate Rapid & Blitz
  • 2019 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2019 Champions Showdown: The Kings
  • 2019 Cairns Cup
2018
  • 2018 TiC: World Championship
  • 2018 Saint Louis Invitational
  • 2018 Winter Classic
  • 2018 Fall Chess Classic
  • 2018 Champions Showdown
  • 2018 U.S. Junior Championships
  • 2018 Summer Chess Classic
  • 2018 U.S. Championships
  • 2018 Today in Chess: Candidates
  • 2018 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2018 Saint Louis Norm Congress
2017
  • 2017 Winter Chess Classic
  • 2017 Saint Louis Winter Invitational
  • 2017 Saint Louis Invitational
  • 2017 Champions Showdown
  • 2017 Fall Chess Classic
  • 2017 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
  • 2017 Sinquefield Cup
  • 2017 Match of the Millennials
  • 2017 U.S. Junior Championship
  • 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship
  • 2017 Your Next Move
  • 2017 Paris GCT
  • 2017 Spring Chess Classic
  • 2017 U.S. Championship
  • 2017 U.S. Women's Championship
2016
  • 2016 Saint Louis Autumn Invitational
  • 2016 Champions Showdown
  • 2016 Sinquefield Cup
  • 2016 U.S. Junior Closed
  • 2016 Saint Louis Invitational
  • 2016 U.S. Championships
  • 2016 U.S. Women's Championship
2015
  • 2015 Showdown in Saint Louis
  • 2015 U.S. Championships
  • 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Championship
  • Kasparov vs Short
2014
  • 2014 Sinquefield Cup
2013
  • 2013 Sinquefield Cup
  • 2013 U.S. Championships
  • 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Championship

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