This week’s guest on Perpetual Chess is one the United States’ top players, GM Sam Shankland. Sam is a two- time Olympic Gold Medalist, the 2018 US Champion, and an acclaimed author and Chessable creator. A dedicated teacher, Sam is also a lead trainer and the co-founder of Killer Chess Training. As a late starter by the standards of a chess professional, Sam is always especially insightful on the topic of chess improvement. In our conversation, we reflect on his own ups and downs in recent years, as well as the common traits of his most successful students. Sam also shares his thoughts on the first half of the World Championship match, discusses what he did to improve at endgames and at rapid chess, and outlines his 2023 tournament schedule. There is always lots to learn from chatting with Sam, and I greatly enjoyed our discussion! Timestamps of topics discussed can be found below.
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Interview Recorded on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Prior interview with Sam, Episode 8
0:00- Check out some of my favorite Chessable courses here:
https://go.chessable.com/perpetual-chess-podcast/
02:00- How does Sam follow the World Championship? What were his impressions after Round 11?
09:00- How is Sam feeling about his own chess game at the moment? What is his study routine?
Mentioned: Prague Masters, FIDE World Cup
15:00- What inspired Sam’s choice to write the forthcoming book, Theoretical Rook Endings?
Mentioned: GM Jacob Aagaard, FM Nate Solon’s blog post, What’s the Point of Studying the Endgame
21:00- What was Sam’s approach to endgames as an up-and-coming player?
Mentioned: GM Alex Yermolinsky’s Every Russian School Boy Knows
24:45- Does Sam think he can make another leap forward as he did in 2018?
27:00- Does Sam track the progress of his students?
Mentioned: GM Abhimanyu Mishra, IM Shahil Dey
29:00- Sam discusses the explosion of chess learning tools
32:00- Who from the younger generation does Sam think might someday be World Champion?
35:00- Will Sam make it a priority to try to get into the 2023 Candidates?
Mentioned: 2021 FIDE World Cup
41:00- What did Sam do to strengthen his rapid game?
41:30- What, in Sam’s opinion, is the best way for adult amateurs to try to improve?
43:30- Does Sam think one should do “Puzzle Rush” type tactics as well?
46:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Should strong amateur players try to find less-explored opening moves to gain an edge on their opponents?”
51:00- What is Sam’’s advice for how to study opening structures?
55:00- How is Sam using engines?
58:00- What is Sam’s advice for overcoming setbacks?
1:04:00- What advice did Sam give IM Levy Rozman when he was mired in an OTB chess slump?
1:08:00- Does the explosive growth of chess affect Sam’s life at all? Should top GMs be jealous of lower rated chess content creators with big followings?
1:14:00- What can we expect in Sam’s new Chessable course on the Neo-Catalan?
1:16:00- Is Sam watching any new TV shows?
1:20:00- Thanks to Sam for joining me! Here are the links to keep up with Sam and his educational material:
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