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Grandmaster Sam Shankland 14, winner of the U.S. Chess Championship in 2018, is one of Americas top chess competitors, currently ranked sixth among active players in the United States and number 44 in the world, and working on his third book on chess strategy.

Chess Grandmaster Sam Shankland 14 reported on the recent online chess Olympiad in the November issue of Chess Life which featured a cover story on The Queen's Gambit.

Photo Credit: US Chess

Sam Shankland14 at a chess tournament prior to 2020. Shankland had to adjust to playing international tournaments online this year.

Photo Credit: David Llada, International Chess Federation (FIDE)

With interest in chess currently on the rise with the popularity of The Queens Gambit on Netflix and a pandemic-induced boom in online chess and sales of chess sets, Shankland was invited by the Brandeis Alumni Association to share his perspective on the chess scene.

He gave his thoughts on Netflixs No. 1 show, on what its like to play an international tournament online and on how his Brandeis experience has shaped his path.

What did you think of The Queen's Gambit? Do you feel the series accurately captured the feel of high-level chess play?

I liked The Queen's Gambit. It certainly took some creative liberties it is fiction after all but it did a much better job of portraying the chess world than I have ever seen in any other mainstream film or book. The main protagonist, Beth Harmon, goes through a lot of the same struggles top players go through today. I wasn't around in the era the series is set in and modern chess certainly looks very different, but in a lot of ways, the writers really managed to capture the atmosphere of chess in the 60s.

You recently played for Team USA in an online chess Olympiad. What was it like playing an international tournament via Zoom? Do you look forward to getting back to playing face to face?

It was certainly different playing on Zoom. I've never been much of an Internet player, and I can't visualize the pieces and calculate variations nearly as well in my head when looking at a 2-D screen rather than a 3-D board. There's a whole plethora of reasons that classical, face-to-face chess is a vastly superior game to online chess, and I am really looking forward to playing again when the time comes. All that said, I think that the organizers behind these online events are doing a tremendous job to pick up the slack in a difficult time.

Something you likely never did during a face-to-face tournament: dealing with a broken-pipe plumbing crisis in your home while at the same time playing a high-level international chess match on Zoom. What happened, and what was that like?

This was quite a funny incident! But this is the kind of thing that can happen when you are playing from your own home as opposed to going into the de facto coliseum to play your games. One of my best traits as a player is my ability to hyperfocus on the board in front of me with absolutely no regard for anything else (prize money on the line, whatever is going on in the world or my life, even who my opponent is) and find the best move. I certainly could not reach this level of hyperfocus when I heard the homeowners association groundskeeper banging around in the downstairs bathroom trying to fix the leak! It turned out to be nothing too serious, just a broken toilet that was flooding through the floor and onto the carport below, but of course I did not know this at the time. I managed to play reasonably well on the day, drawing with Greece and beating Italy.

Did your Brandeis experience shape your current path in some way?

Brandeis shaped me and made me a more complete person. I am a happier man for having completed my education. I also am not convinced that it really hurt my chess career to have taken some time off. There's a lot of really brilliant minds out there that were fed nothing but chess from age six onwards. I don't believe those players ended up any stronger than those who had a more balanced upbringing. But they do strike me as less happy.

Published On: December 7, 2020

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Grandmaster Sam Shankland '14 on The Queen's Gambit and Chess Today - Brandeis University

Chessis the brainchild of ABBA stars Benny Andersson and Bjrn Ulvaeus, telling the story of two Grandmasters battling it out during the Cold War.

It has thrilled audiences since its 1986 West End premiere, with an iconic score featuring songs like Nobodys Side, Someone Elses Story, and One Night In Bangkok, the shows underlying political message could not be more relevant than in 2020.

Producer Adrian Storey is so excited to finally be bringing this production to audiences, having planned it for years with Director Tyran Parke. The pair are gearing up for the exciting concert performances of the show in both Melbourne and Perth next year.

The incredible score! Chess the Musical is one of the best diverse rock/pop-opera scores written for the stage. Chess the Musical was written at a time when British musical theatre were the kings of Broadway and, as a teenager, I immediately fell in love with the wonderful score. Testament to this is having two #1 hit UK songs plus a plethora of other hits worldwide. This production aims to celebrate that score.

Tyran Parke, the director, and I have been talking about presenting this show for six years. The difficulty was that the UK/Swedish rights holders wouldnt allow it to be presented whilst they re-worked parts of the show. After a series of attempts and arm twisting, we eventually obtained the professional rights and are delighted to finally bring Chess the Musical to Perth. Our production is six years in the making and now our dream becomes reality; we cant wait to share that with you.

Strangely enough it is not one of the more popular songs like I Know Him So Well, or One Night in Bangkok, it is You & I. For me, this song represents the heart of the show. Sung by Florence and Anatoly, it demonstrates the scale, depth and diversity of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderssons song writing.

Were going to keep it simple! Numerous attempts at presenting this show has included over-complicated technical scenery and technology that ultimately detracts from the story and score. Partnering with the Perth Symphony Orchestra, we made a very firm decision to present the score as it deserves to be heard. This combined with our incredible cast, which shall be announced in February 2021, promises to be an incredible night out.

The pawn. They are such humble, foot soldiers and sacrificed without a moments thought. I think they are the bravest pieces on the board.

StoreyBoard Entertainment presents CHESS THE MUSICAL

Music by ABBAs Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson and Lyrics & Book by Tim Rice

For tickets and more info visitwww.chessmusical.info

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Producer Adrian Storey chats CHESS | Features - Aussie Theatre

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KWWL) - While streaming movies, shows and live TV has become popular during the pandemic, you may recognize the name, 'The Queen's Gambit.'

The series is drawing attention to chess, and one local chess team, The Iowa Pawn Stormers, has expressed excitement about the Netflix show.

You may think their elation is in response to the gripping storyline. But Iowa Pawn Stormer dad, Craig Nelson, said it's all about the representation the show brings to the game his son loves.

"Getting to know more of the pieces and things like that, you know, such an old game," Nelson said. "Now bring it to the modern kids."

The story follows Beth Harmon, a woman who broke barriers by becoming a female grandmaster. The series shows many elements of chess.

Iowa Pawn Stormers head coach, James Hodina, told KWWL he applauded their accuracy.

"Everything around her is factual, the way they play the game, the way they set up the chess tournaments," Hodina said.

Hodina has coached many students, like Chase, to become advanced players. This also includes Kelton Holm, who is just six years old.

"I have a lot of trophies."

Growing Iowa's chess community, the pandemic also affected the sport, stopping all tournaments and in-person practices.

"Chess poses a lot of problems with COVID. You can't stay six feet apart. You're touching the same chess pieces back and forth," Hodina said.

However, in spite of it all, Hodina has noticed an increase in players.

"This is a record year for me in terms of participation," he said.

Not sure whether to correlate it with the show or the pandemic, Hodina is just happy to see chess get the hype it deserves.

"The 'Queens Gambit' showed that chess is still exciting."

The Iowa Pawn Stormers is a traveling chess team and has competed in multiple states. Until getting the green light to play again, the team practices every week over Zoom.

Originally posted here:
Local chess team is elated after 'The Queen's Gambit' puts their sport in the spotlight - kwwl.com

Clara Witte(All photos: Vince Ruble)

Alexandria, VA The Queens Gambit is, at the moment, Netflixs most watched show. Many Americans stuck inside have found needed escape in the fictional coming of age story of Beth Harmon, an orphan turned child chess prodigy, who defies the odds to compete with the best in the world. The 7-part miniseries, made for adults, plunges viewers into the world of 1960s competitive chess. But in 2020, adults are not the only ones who need a distraction from the realities of pandemic life.

Recently Zebra got a glimpse into the minds of local children on a similar quest for chess greatness. These serious students of the game, unable to play in the traditional face-to-face setting, found that playing each other in online tournaments presents its own set of challenges and rewards.

For nearly 20 years, Alexandrian Vince Ruble has organized traditional chess competitions at schools around the area, including a citywide tournament in Alexandria. Ruble works for The Campagna Center providing before and after school programs for Alexandrias Elementary Schools, but his main profession now is teaching chess one on one.

Facing quarantine this year, Ruble provided a safe alternative by initiating online play. Since March over 200 bright young players have relentlessly competed for 54 trophies each month. Each contestant played in four matches per tournament. Thats a lot of chess.

Zebra talked with four of these rising chess stars as they prepare for a showdown on December 5, to win an impressive 28-inch trophy. The players are Clara Witte,Ethan Corazza, Andrew Fabian, and Thomas Votsis, and vary in age from 9 to 14. Each has a unique playing style and approach to the game, which is part of what makes chess great. No two players are the same; no two matches are identical.

A great player must see what is in front of them and adapt accordingly. Success is predicated on the individuals ability to predict what their opponent will do next. Players at this level are adept at visualizing the next series of moves and trying to stay one step ahead of their adversary.

No one knows this better than Clara Witte, a sixth-grader at Roland Park Elementary in Baltimore. She uses her innate ability to read people to her advantage.

Sometimes I can see little a disturbance in (opponents) faces, but when its just another computer screen you forget about that and just focus on the game, said Clara. That Clara is the only girl among the four finalists is not lost on the 11-year-old. If a boy wins against another boy, theyre fine with it, she said, but if a girl wins, then they think she is cheating or something.

Clara is quite humble about her accomplishments. I kind of regard trophies as showing off, but whats the point of showing them off? You dont carry them around with you everywhere you go, theyre just sitting on the wall or a shelf.

Nine-year-old Thomas Votsis, a fourth-grader from MacArthur Elementary in Alexandria, has a different view on trying to read his opponent. I usually dont, because sometimes I read their emotions. Then I think maybe Im winning or losing and that makes me overconfident, he said.

Thomas values getting to play chess with a wide variety of players during the few years he has been playing, but, he said, Probably the biggest (take away) is probably focus because, in chess, that is what you have to do. If youredaydreaming while youre playing, youll lose. Ive learned to put my mind to things and accomplish them.

At 13, Ethan Corazza is a seventh-grader at Hammond Middle School and the highest-ranking player of the group. Ethan is modest about this fact. When asked about his achievement, Ethan said, I have been more consistent than most of the other people.

Ethan considers his play to be an opportunistic endeavor and a way to create a more exciting match. If theres an opportunity, if I see it, Ill probably take it. If I can attack or defend, Ill probably attack, he said. The thrill of the attack is no small part of what makes Ethan such a dangerous player.

Andrew Fabian is a 9-year-old attending Mount Vernon Elementary School and a highly cerebral player who prefers to lose himself in the game no matter who the opponent is. I just get so deep into my games, I dont care if its against a random person. Its just the chess pieces, he said.

Not surprisingly, patience is a virtue for Andrew when it comes to chess. You cant force a person to move and go through their thought process. You have to go through your own thought process and think to yourself, is this a trap? Can I get forked in some way? said Andrew. (For those uninitiated in chess jargon a fork is when an opponent forces you to choose between two of your pieces that could be captured in the next move. A fork is something to avoid.)

It will be a fascinating clash of the minds when these exceptional chess standouts collide in the elimination tournament on December 5. When you read this, the tournament will have taken place and we will report the outcome on the Zebra website (thezebra.org) and in the January Zebra. We wish them all luck, as theycompete to see who takes home the title. Make sure you check out our next issue when we will reveal the name of the winner.

ICYMI: Learning Life Lessons through Chess, and More

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Young Chess Stars Meet in a Winner Take All Tournament Checkmate! - The Zebra

12/11/2020 The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is scheduled to return in 2021 and will feature five tournaments and a format that was originally planned for the 2020 edition of the tour. Tour participants will compete for a total prize fund of $1.275 million over the course of the 2021 season.

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Press Release, Saint Louis, MO, December 10, 2020

Following the success of the 2019 Superbet Rapid and Blitz tournament in Bucharest, the Romanian capital will host the first classical event of the 2021 season in June. The 2021 Sinquefield Cup will be in August and will conclude the final leg of the tour. Between the two classical events are three rapid and blitz events, Paris, France, Zagreb, Croatia and Saint Louis, USA.There will not be a GCT Finals tournament in 2021; the final tour standings will be decided based on the GCT points each tour player accumulates over the course of the five tournaments.

Event dates have been coordinated with FIDE to ensure that there will be no clashes with FIDEs major events including the conclusion of the Candidates tournament, the World Championship Match and the expanded FIDE World Cup.The major sponsors of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour are the Superbet Foundation, Vivendi SA, Colliers International and the Saint Louis Chess Club.

The full tour participants will play in both classical events as well as intwo of the three rapid and blitz events. Ten wildcards will be extended toselected players to participate in the rapid and blitzevents. The full schedule for the 2021 GCT season (including arrival and departure days) is as follows:

1. Superbet Chess Classic Romania: June 3 - 15, 2021, Bucharest, Romania2. Paris Rapid & Blitz: June 16 - 23, 2021, Paris, France3. Croatia Rapid & Blitz: July 5 - 12, 2021, Zagreb, Croatia4. St Louis Rapid & Blitz: August 9 - 16, 2021, St. Louis, Missouri USA5. Sinquefield Cup: August 16 28, 2021, St. Louis, Missouri USA

Tour invitations have been extended to the selected participants and further announcements regarding the final composition of the 2021 field and season will be made as they become available.

The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. All Grand Chess Tour 2021 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions.For more information about the tour, visit grandchesstour.org.

MEDIA CONTACTRebecca BuffingtonPhone: +1 (314) 277 - 3930Email: press@grandchesstour.org

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The Grand Chess Tour Returns In 2021 - Chessbase News