Issue #07 — Sam Shankland

About This Issue

The summer edition of ACM boasts a cover photo of Sam Shankland, the 2018 U.S. Champion. Sam talks to ACM in an interview with Josip Asik (“Maybe I’m Being Assisted by Fischer’s Ghost!”) and annotates his own games from the U.S. Championship. GM Robert Hungaski adds “To Seal the Title, Go for the Exchange Caro-Kann!” and GM Zviad Izoria contributes “Don’t Mess Around!”

“Whatever Happened to the Big 3?” asks how the American favorites fared: GM John Burke on Fabiano Caruana (“Play the Board, Not the Opponent!”), GM Michael Rohde on Wesley So (“No Thrills No Spills for So-So-Solid Wesley!”) and GM John Fedorowicz on Hikaru Nakamura (“Slow Start, Missed Opportunities”). In “A Star Is Born,” WIM Annie Wang, a 15-year-old who displays sensational maturity in her first U.S. Championship, tells her own story.

GM Jacob Aagaard goes “Beyond the Berlin Wall” with the Berlin Candidates: “Caruana – A Deserved Winner” and “The One and Only Prize the Players Wanted.” College chess is covered by Chris Wainscott (“A Grande Finale!”) and GM Priyadharshan Kannappan (“Webster University No Longer U.S. Collegiate Team Champions!”), while GM Mackenzie Molner reports from the Grenke Chess Classic (“Black Is Still OK!”).

Instruction comes from GM Susan Polgar (“Warm-Up: Carlsen–Caruana”), GM Vassily Ivanchuk (“The Chivalrous Knight”) and GM Alex Fishbein (“The Three Pillars of Endgame Technique”), and IM Piotr Murdzia writes on chess composition inspired by Milan Vukcevich. John S. Hilbert tells “George N. Cheney: An American Chess Story.” Regular columns by FM Carsten Hansen, Jon Edwards (“When Google Plays the French”), GM Joel Benjamin, IM Danny Rensch (“Unknowns and Underdogs”), Ryan Velez, Oyvind Von Doren Asbjornsen (“Who Is Into Rolex?”) and IM Igor Khmelnitsky, plus Readers’ Voices, the Tournament Review and GM Alisa Maric in “Where Grandmasters Advise Young Players,” round out the issue.

What’s Inside

• p.8 — “Maybe I'm Being Assisted by Fischer's Ghost!” — Sam Shankland Talks to ACM — Josip Asik
• p.10 — Sam Shankland Annotates — GM Sam Shankland
• p.46 — A Star Is Born — 15-Year-Old Girl Displays Sensational Maturity in Her First US Championship — WIM Annie Wang
• p.68 — Chess Improvement with Susan Polgar: Warm-Up — Carlsen-Caruana — GM Susan Polgar
• p.76 — Beyond the Berlin Wall — The Berlin Candidates — GM Jacob Aagaard
• p.106 — The Three Pillars of Endgame Technique — GM Alex Fishbein
• p.112 — George N. Cheney: An American Chess Story — John S. Hilbert
• p.152 — Where Grandmasters Advise Young Players — GM Alisa Maric

Inside the Issue