How Shankland Won The U.S. Champs

Sam Shankland was the surprise winner of the 2018 U.S. chess championship. In this video series, GM Sam Shankland walks you through each of his six wins on the way to his victory, ahead of the "big three," Caruana, Nakamura, and Wesley So.

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With Black vs Zviad Izoria Sam Shankland shocked the chess world by winning the 2018 U.S. Champs ahead of the "big three," Caruana, Nakamura, and So. He shows you exactly how he did it by presenting each of his six wins! Watch as he kicks things off with his first win against Zviad Izoria with the black pieces!

With Black vs Ray Robson Sam Shankland was the surprise winner of the 2018 U.S. chess championship, and now he is here to explain how he did it. Take a lesson on how Shankland avoided his opponent "tearing his head off" in a sharp and tactical game. 

With Black vs Varuzhan Akobian To win an important chess tournament, sometimes you have to turn a shaky start into a win on the chessboard. That's what the new U.S. chess champion Sam Shankland was able to do in this game; watch to see him explain his thoughts move-by-move in this pivotal battle.

With Black vs Alexander Onischuk Dive deep into GM Sam Shankland's critical victories in the 2018 U.S. Chess Championship! See how he plays for the advantage with Black against GM Alexander Onischuk who tied for first in 2017.

With White vs Yaroslav Zherebukh Having an extra piece vs a bunch of pawns is a classic chess conundrum. The piece should be more powerful, but if those pawns get rolling, it could be trouble. U.S. chess champion Sam Shankland shows you how he used the piece to win a critical game in the biggest tournament of his life.

With White vs Awonder Liang This is it—the final round of the U.S. championship, with the title on the line. Learn from the U.S. champion himself as he goes over the most important game of his life move-by-move.