The Shankland Method 2 Direct Threats + PGN Jun 09, 2025

Don’t Ask “Can I Play It?” —
Make The Impossible Work!

2018 U.S. Champion. Two-time Olympiad gold medalist. Peak FIDE rating of 2731. Sam Shankland didn’t reach the top by backing down when opponents challenged his ideas. He got there by asking this one bold question.

Picture this:

You sacrificed a pawn for pressure. You’re about to fork White’s queen and rook, if only e3 weren’t covered.

That shiny fork on e3! Too
bad it’s… covered?

“What happens if I do it anyway?”

You ensnare the rook on c1 or
kick off a killer kingside attack!

Your rooks want to take over the c-file. But Black has already claimed it.

Black will just double-down with
1…Rfc8. So 1.Rc1 doesn’t
make sense. Does it?

“What happens if I do it anyway?”

You force a lose-lose deal on
Black: hand over the c-file
or their queen!

The e-pawn is attacked twice, defended once. It’s the only crack in White’s position. But grabbing it means giving up the exchange… in an endgame!

The queens are off. Is this
really the time for an
exchange sac?

“What happens if I do it anyway?”

Your dark-squared bishop wins you
the 2nd-rank pawns, while their extra
rook paces in a two-by-four pen.

Enter The Shankland Method 2: Direct Threats.

When the game has grown sharp and everything hinges on a tempo…

The Shankland Method insists on playing your move, even if it looks impossible.

Backing Up The Question With
Pinpoint Precise Calculation

The Shankland Method challenges you to trust your idea. It tells you to stare down the defense. After you decide to make the “impossible” work, you need to back it up with accurate, fearless calculation.

That’s exactly what you’ll train in chapter one.

Using the Shankland Method, you’ll bring in reinforcements, and seal off escape routes. You’ll turn a slight initiative into a full-blown attack — even when the opponent has everything “covered.”

Shankland also gives you tools to find the best move faster and with fewer errors. Learn about:

🎯 The two key drivers of a winning kingside attack. When you’re torn between lines, follow these two clues to keep the heat on!

🎯 The three types of candidate moves you must consider when the position turns sharp. Any one of them could be the knockout blow.

🎯 Tempted by an exchange sacrifice? This quick test reveals at a glance if the sac is worth it.

🎯 Plus the silent calculation mistake Shankland warns against three separate times. If you catch yourself doing it, best to just start over.

Next, Shankland walks you through one of the sharpest, tactics-rich moments in the game:

When opposing center pawns are attacking each other.

Once these pawns start to trade, lines will open. Pieces will spring to life. Tactics will come pouring in.

That’s why Shankland dedicates an entire chapter on these central explosions. So you can turn this ticking time bomb to a winning advantage.

Raise your hand if you’ve been here:
Knights and pawns about to explode.
Bishops on dominant diagonals. Turn
all that coiled tension to a winning
advantage in chapter two.

Shankland also trains you to stay cool in those double-edged “squirm in your seat” positions.

Positions where threats fly from both sides. Your intuition pulls one way, while the board screams another. And the clock ticks louder with every passing second.

With the Shankland Method, you’ll learn how to quiet the noise and zero in on your ideal move.

🎯 Keep calm while four pieces hang. You tuck away your king. You let White grab what they can. Because after the forcing moves run dry, you get everything back with interest!

🎯 Walk into discovered checks without flinching. Let your king pick off attackers himself, while the rest of your pieces line up for a counter.

🎯 Punish pins with nastier ones of your own. Then walk away with game-winning material.

🎯 And even in the endgame, you let them take a piece just to steal a few extra tempi. That’s all you need to whip up a mating attack even without queens!

With the Shankland Method, you won’t be asking permission to play bold moves. You’ll make them work.