GM Sam Shankland Heads Field in Northern California Online Invitational

The Mechanics’ Institute is excited to organize the Northern California Online Invitational Championship on Sunday, June 21 at 2pm. It will be a six player round robin invitational with a time control of G/15 +2. Three top Grandmasters will compete alongside the last three recipients of the Mechanics’ Institute Neil Falconer Award, given to the top under 18 player from Northern California by end of year US Chess rating. The prize is a check equal to their US Chess rating! This event is sponsored by Mechanics’ Institute Trustee and former Chess Director Jim Eade.

Sam Shankland (courtesy Mechanics Institute)

The field will be led by 2018 US Champion GM Sam Shankland, a previous recipient of the Falconer Award. Also in the field is GM Zviad Izoria, who famously toppled GM’s Caruana and Nakamura at the 2018 US Championship, GM Steven Zierk, also a past winner of the Falconer award, IM Christopher Yoo, last year’s award winner, IM Andrew Hong, and IM Cameron Wheeler.

This event will showcase the best players in Northern California, the present and the future of chess, all connected through the Mechanics’ Institute and the award started by Neil Falconer, a former Trustee and longtime supporter of chess at Mechanics’. It will be a great Father’s Day event, and it will be streamed with live commentary by GM Nick de Firmian, FM Paul Whitehead, FM Jim Eade, Abel Talamantez and Dr. Judit Sztaray.

To tune in, follow this link: https://www.twitch.tv/mechanicschess

The match will be played on chess.com.

The broadcast begins at 1:30pm. Come and join us at Mechanics’ this Sunday!