Shankland Wins 2025 American Continental, Qualifies for World Cup

Former US Champion Sam Shankland Becomes 2025 American Continental Champion

FOZ DO IGUAÇU, BRAZIL—The FIDE Americas Tournament Committee seems to have been more deliberate in selecting the location of the annual American Continental Championship as of late. While there were no Olympic torch ceremonies or former world champions in attendance, this year’s edition was breathtakingly situated barely an hour away from Iguazu Falls, often deemed one of the “natural wonders of the world.”

Iguazu Falls, which are situated on the border of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay (Photo courtesy of PICRYL, Creative Commons)

This distinction, however, proved no distraction for veteran GM and former US Champion Sam Shankland who captured the title (on tiebreaks) with an undefeated 8½/11, earning one of four qualification spots for the 2025 FIDE World Cup. Shankland last won the title in 2018. Six other players tied for first, with the three remaining World Cup qualification spots going to GMs Jose Martínez of Mexico (perhaps more colloquially known as Jospem, GM Vladimir Kramnik’s chief antagonist), Alexandr Fier of Brazil, and Jose Cardoso of Colombia on tie-breaks.

Podium finishers Sam Shankland (center), Jose Martínez (L), and Alexandr Fier (Photo courtesy of FIDE Americas)

This year’s event also attracted the strongest-ever American attendance: every US player except for one was a GM, with four of them starting out among the top 10 seeds. In the end, three other Americans finished close behind with 8/11: GMs Grigoriy Oparin, Brandon Jacobson, and Brewington Hardaway. While the event was smaller than last year’s edition with “only” 224 players, the organizers maintained the high standards of integrity by implementing strict anti-cheating measures before the start of every round. No reports of arbiters on their knees inspecting toilet basins this time, though!

2025 American Continental Champion Sam Shankland (Photo courtsy of FIDE Americas)

From left: American competitors Grigoriy Oparin, Robert Hungaski, Brandon Jacobson, and Brewington Hardaway (Photos courtesy of FIDE Americas)

From left: American competitors Grigoriy Oparin, Robert Hungaski, Brandon Jacobson, and Brewington Hardaway (Photos courtesy of FIDE Americas)

Despite the Americans’ strong finish, the outcome was far from certain. The leaders as late as the ninth round ended up far off the podium, demonstrating the closeness and competitiveness of the field. The theme of the event seemed to be solidity, with many players making draws against each other leading to a compact field. Nonetheless, amidst the grind, several games showed notable dynamism. Below is a review of Shankland’s scintillating round four victory against fellow American, GM Robert Hungaski.

Not to be outdone, Oparin also put up a convincing fourth round win over Chilean GM Pablos Salinas Herrera, albeit in a much different style.

Following these wins, both Shankland and Oparin were held to several mid-tournament draws. The crucial and decisive matchup came in round 10, pitting Oparin, in the lead with 7½/10, against Shankland, playing catch-up with 7/10. The elevated stakes and both players’ tenacious fighting spirit did not disappoint, resulting in a fascinating, action-packed game. Stay tuned for annotations of the game in the print edition of Chess Life.

Joining Shankland on 7 points was GM Brandon Jacobson, whose ninth round win against the aforementioned Hungaski evolved from a quiet, strategic game into a vibrant and double-edged battle. Ultimately, Hungaski could not catch a break; his only three losses came against fellow Americans Shankland, Oparin, and Jacobson.

Amidst all the top-level action, FM Gregory Markzon deserves a special shoutout. Markzon, 75 years old, has played in every Continental since 2015, pausing only for COVID. Even as the competition seemingly gets younger, Markzon is able to keep up! Last year, he gained 53 points, and this year he managed to hold his own.

FM Gregory Markzon, veteran of the American Continental Championship (Photo courtesy of FIDE Americas)

When I grabbed lunch with him last year, he was full of memorable stories from his long career of playing Continentals. One of the most shocking ones was when he and GM Alex Shabalov were playing in Medellín. Midway through the tournament, a local businessman arrived in a VIP limo to investigate the chess tournament. Without getting into the specifics of this individual's enterprise, we can say his presence rightfully evoked fear and concern among organizers. But, rather than extort the foreigners, the businessman graciously invited the players out to dinner where they bonded over chess… and Russian!

It turned out that this individual was half-Russian and had great respect and admiration for high level chess players. Needless to say, word got out, and Markzon and Shabalov found that the citizens crossed the street and averted their eyes whenever the pair walked around the city. It surely helps to have friends in powerful places.

While, disappointingly, I was unable to attend the Continental this year, I am always amazed at the fiery games and unique stories that come from the event.