GM Joel’s Chess Week Recap - Episode 77

Opening: E54, B90, D38, A06, D02, A05:

Player(s): Flores, Shankland, Xiong, Sosa, Liang, Hungaski, Ludwig, Zierk, Korley, Williams

This week’s show highlights more American triumphs, including a title norm bonanza in Charlotte, and yet another victory for Sam Shankland.
Shankland put up another huge score at the American Continental Championship, taking clear first with 9/11.  Sam had three winning streaks for a total of seven wins with four draws and no losses.  He finished a half-point ahead of Argentine GM Diego Flores.
Charlotte has recently hosted a number of round robin internationals, and though they have been quite successful in producing title norms, the June events were off the chart bonanzas, with two grandmaster norms and three IM norms registered in the four groups.  First off, Stephen Zierk has earned his final grandmaster norm, and will receive the title when his rating reaches 2500 - he must at least be quite close after this tournament.