Sam Shankland made 5.5/7 in Prague Masters and won 18.3 rating points, taking him to the number 31 spot in the World. Sam’s play was by no means flawless and he and Jacob had several discussions during the tournament. But it was still good enough for a 2905 performance.
Second place, Duda from Poland, lost in the opening to Sam, but still had a dream event, making 5/7, taking a few additional steps up the World rankings to no. 18. His highest ranking ever was at no. 12 with 20 rating points more.
Sam’s next tournament will be in Sochi, Russia, playing the World Cup in July.
Before the tournament, Sam spent three weeks in Glasgow with his trainer of 8 years, GM Jacob Aagaard, getting in tournament shape.