Full Contact Chess in New Jersey!

The 7th session of the US Chess School took place this week at the Dean Ippolito Chess Academy in Branchburg, New Jersey. Two local kids participated in this exclusive session targeting some of the nation's most talented young masters: newly titled FM Sam Shankland (standing at the right end) and US Junior co-champion NM Gregory Young (hiding under the letter "A" of Academy). The lead instructor for the five day long training class was former US Champion GM Joel Benjamin.

Many readers of this blog may wonder what happened to Sam's arm. He told me that, while playing frisbee outdoors, he blindly backed into an unknown person, lost his balance and landed hard on his left arm. In chess terms, Sam got skewered. He broke his arm and will need to keep it in a sling for several weeks. I am sure that this minor injury will not slow down the young and restless master for long. :-)

I found lots of photos on Elizabeth Vicary's popular chess blog. Here are some links: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.