Live chat with Sam Shankland
The USA Golden Boy from the Tromso Olympiad, GM Sam Shankland, has come to Belgrade as a guest of Chess Informant. Playing as a reserve player for the US team, Shankland made a Fischer-like achievement with seven out of seven and finished with 9 points out of ten. He collected a gold medal on the virtual Board 5 with the best percentage scored in the entire Olympiad.
In the following days Sam played a rapid tournament with the members of the Serbian national team, and got training sessions with Grandmasters Ivanisevic, Indjic and Perunovic.
The 22-year-old grandmaster from San Francisco, California, is already a long-term contributor and author of theoretical articles for Chess Informant. In the upcoming Chess Informant 121 Midnight Sun, he will present his Olympiad achievement from Game 1 to Game 10.
There is a long tradition of US chess players who come to Belgrade as a sort of chess pilgrimage. It all started with Bobby Fisher, who was in Belgrade in the late 50s before gaining international fame. Major media outlets in Serbia, a country that has great respect for chess, have been very informative about the “young chess wizard” in Belgrade.
