Prepare against Sam Shankland
GM · United States · World #64 classical · FIDE ID 2004887
Our database contains 2,670 games by Sam Shankland, covering Apr 2007 to Aug 2026. Below you'll find Sam Shankland's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout Sam Shankland before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 2,653 | 2,731 | Mar 2019 |
| Rapid | 2,624 | 2,657 | Dec 2022 |
| Blitz | 2,613 | 2,704 | Aug 2021 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2,670 | 1,201 | 842 | 627 | 45.0% |
| As White | 1,340 | 658 | 403 | 279 | 49.1% |
| As Black | 1,330 | 543 | 439 | 348 | 40.8% |
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of Sam Shankland's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from Sam Shankland's side.
First moves as White (1,339 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | 546 | 40.8% | 60.2% |
| e4 | 470 | 35.1% | 66.7% |
| c4 | 242 | 18.1% | 67.4% |
| Nf3 | 72 | 5.4% | 65.3% |
| g3 | 6 | 0.4% | 75.0% |
| b3 | 2 | 0.1% | 100.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.d4 — 41% of White games, 60.2% score
- …Nf6 (62% of these games) — Shankland usually continues c4 (58.1% score)
- …d5 (31% of these games) — Shankland usually continues c4 (64.6% score)
- …e6 (2% of these games) — Shankland usually continues c4 (27.8% score)
- 1.e4 — 35% of White games, 66.7% score
- …c5 (39% of these games) — Shankland usually continues Nf3 (68.1% score)
- …e5 (31% of these games) — Shankland usually continues Nf3 (55.8% score)
- …e6 (11% of these games) — Shankland usually continues d4 (79.4% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (579 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| c5 | 381 | 65.8% | 61.0% |
| c6 | 85 | 14.7% | 60.0% |
| e5 | 79 | 13.6% | 47.5% |
| e6 | 28 | 4.8% | 46.4% |
| d6 | 5 | 0.9% | 50.0% |
| Nc6 | 1 | 0.2% | 100.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (432 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| d5 | 222 | 51.4% | 57.7% |
| Nf6 | 202 | 46.8% | 58.9% |
| f5 | 4 | 0.9% | 50.0% |
| d6 | 2 | 0.5% | 100.0% |
| e6 | 2 | 0.5% | 50.0% |
Sam Shankland's chess games
All 2,670 games by Sam Shankland in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2007 - Aug 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 1,201 wins, 842 draws, 627 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D37 | Indian Defense | 98 | 48/32/18 | 49.0% |
| A13 | English Opening | 90 | 52/22/16 | 57.8% |
| D45 | Slav Defense | 83 | 46/27/10 | 55.4% |
| A20 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 56 | 32/12/12 | 57.1% |
| B41 | Sicilian | 52 | 22/16/14 | 42.3% |
| E04 | Catalan | 52 | 15/20/17 | 28.8% |
| E94 | King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation | 44 | 21/5/18 | 47.7% |
| A37 | English Opening: Symmetrical | 38 | 20/13/5 | 52.6% |
| B90 | Sicilian: Najdorf | 38 | 22/10/6 | 57.9% |
| E32 | Nimzo-Indian: Classical Variation | 35 | 13/9/13 | 37.1% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D45 | Slav Defense | 170 | 66/52/52 | 38.8% |
| B50 | Sicilian | 152 | 78/29/45 | 51.3% |
| B90 | Sicilian: Najdorf | 74 | 28/23/23 | 37.8% |
| A07 | Réti Opening | 70 | 29/17/24 | 41.4% |
| D35 | Indian Defense | 64 | 21/24/19 | 32.8% |
| B52 | Sicilian: Moscow Variation | 46 | 16/19/11 | 34.8% |
| A11 | English Opening: Slav Setup | 41 | 16/11/14 | 39.0% |
| B23 | Sicilian: Closed | 38 | 24/6/8 | 63.2% |
| D02 | London System | 36 | 14/11/11 | 38.9% |
| D85 | Grünfeld Defense | 35 | 5/26/4 | 14.3% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2019 | Liren Ding | 2,811 | chess.com Speed | A13 |
| Aug 2021 | Fabiano Caruana | 2,806 | Saint Louis Rapid | E39 |
| Jun 2025 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2,804 | Titled Tue Early | D78 |
| Aug 2022 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 2,792 | Saint Louis Rapid | E11 |
| Nov 2021 | Levon Aronian | 2,782 | Tata Steel India Blitz | B67 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titled Tuesday | 2026 | 832 | 581.5 | 2,567 |
| ch-USA | 2023 | 137 | 64 | 2,594 |
| Saint Louis Blitz | 2025 | 54 | 13 | 2,543 |
| FIDE World Cup | 2025 | 53 | 30 | 2,738 |
| USA tt | 2013 | 34 | 23.5 | 2,551 |
| PRO League Stage | 2020 | 27 | 13 | 2,546 |
| Saint Louis Rapid | 2025 | 27 | 12 | 2,706 |
| chess.com Speed | 2019 | 25 | 10.5 | 2,747 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Richard Rapport (50 games) · Wesley So (50 games) · Leinier Dominguez Perez (35 games) · Liren Ding (32 games) · Fabiano Caruana (31 games) · Hikaru Nakamura (31 games) · Ray Robson (28 games) · Jeffery Xiong (26 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 2,670 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find Sam Shankland's chess games?
2,670 games by Sam Shankland, from Apr 2007 to Aug 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line Sam Shankland has played.
What does Sam Shankland play on the first move as White?
Across 1,339 games with White in our database, Sam Shankland opens with 1.d4 (41% of games), 1.e4 (35% of games), 1.c4 (18% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, Sam Shankland answers 1...c5 (66% of games), 1...c6 (15% of games), 1...e5 (14% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...d5 (51% of games), 1...Nf6 (47% of games), 1...f5 (1% of games).
What openings does Sam Shankland play as White?
As White, Sam Shankland's most-played openings in our database are: Indian Defense (98 games, 49.0% win rate); English Opening (90 games, 57.8% win rate); Slav Defense (83 games, 55.4% win rate). The full breakdown of 1,340 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does Sam Shankland play as Black?
As Black, Sam Shankland most often plays: Slav Defense (170 games, 38.8% win rate); Sicilian (152 games, 51.3% win rate); Sicilian: Najdorf (74 games, 37.8% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 1,330 games.
What is Sam Shankland's FIDE rating?
Sam Shankland is currently rated 2,653 in classical chess, 2,624 in rapid and 2,613 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,731 (Mar 2019).
How many games has Sam Shankland played?
Our database contains 2,670 games by Sam Shankland, covering Apr 2007 to Aug 2026. Overall record: 1,201 wins, 842 draws, 627 losses (45.0% win rate).
How do I prepare against Sam Shankland?
2,670 games by Sam Shankland reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.