Sam Sevian

Grandmaster Sam Sevian of Holden, Massachusetts, was a chess prodigy in his youth. Taught to play by his father at the age of five, his early career between 8 and 13 saw him break a number of records.These included the youngest American player to become an Expert, Master, International Master and Grandmaster.

The United States has had five players rated in the top twenty in the world for some time now making it extremely difficult to find a spot on the national team. Sam has not yet played in an Olympiad, but he had an impressive debut for the United States in the 2019 World Team Championship in Kazakhstan. Playing on second board Sevian won an individual bronze medal for his undefeated score of 5 from 8, helping an underdog U.S. squad overperform and tie for fourth place.

Sam made his debut in the U.S. Championship in 2013 and has been a regular participant ever since. His best result was in the 2021 event where he tied for first with Fabiano Caruana (whom he defeated in their individual game) and Wesley So, but lost out in the playoff won by So, He reached his highest rating to date, in May of 2022 when he crossed the magic 2700 barrier (2703) marking his entrance into the world elite.

What do Sam Sevian, Sam Shankland and Hans Niemann have in common besides being strong Grandmasters? Answer: they all played in their formative years at the oldest continuously operated chess club in the United States, the Mechanics’ Institute of San Francisco, founded in 1855.