Artic Chess Challege Round Nine

Robson has said he wants to become a professional chess player, and his parents hoped for him to gain a chess scholarship to college.[2] In April 2005, at the "Super Nationals" (the world's largest scholastic chess tournament) in Nashville, he won every match he played and emerged as the national champion in the elementary age (K-6) division. By winning this title he won a four-year scholarship covering full tuition and fees, along with a housing stipend, to the University of Texas at Dallas. The scholarship has a cash value of about $48,000 to non-Texas residents. The only stipulation is that the winner must meet the university's entrance requirements at matriculation, which for Robson won't be for several years.[3] Source Wikipedia

Photo of Ray Robson courtesy of Chessbase.com.


With this draw, Robson completed a GM Norm.



brgrob.pgn







Berg vs Robson





Chessgames of Ray Robson



Chess Career of Ray Robson



Robson has won seven national scholastic titles (including regulation events and blitz events). In addition, he has represented the United States in international scholastic events since 2004. Robson finished in the top ten at the World Youth Chess Championship from 2004 to 2007, and he tied for first place in the 2005 and 2006 (U12 Boys, Silver on tiebreak) Pan American Youth Chess Championships.

Robson also plays in many of the major open tournaments in the United States. He finished in the top ten both at the 2006 National Chess Congress in Philadelphia and at the 2006 North American Open in Las Vegas.[4] Robson's performance at the former event qualified him for the 2007 U.S. Chess Championship, making him the youngest player in the history of the event to participate.

In 2004, at the age of nine, Robson defeated his first National Master in tournament play. In 2005 he defeated his first International Master (IM), and in 2006 he defeated his first Grandmaster (GM). He studied with GM Gregory Kaidanov for almost two years (2005-07), where the two mainly communicated over the phone and Internet. He is currently studying with GM Alexander Onischuk.[5]

Robson was awarded the FIDE Master (FM) title in June 2005 after tying for first place at the Pan American Youth Chess Championship in Brazil. He earned the USCF National Master (NM) title in January 2006 by raising his chess rating above 2200 (the minimum required for the title of National Master). Robson earned the three norms needed for the IM title in only six weeks: the first at the 6th North American FIDE Invitational on November 3, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois; the second 24 days later at the World Youth Chess Championship in Antalya, Turkey; and the third 13 days later (December 10) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) GM Invitational in Dallas, Texas, making him the youngest IM-elect in the United States.[6]

Robson tied for first place in the 2008 Florida championship.[7] On July 16, 2009 he won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship, becoming one of the youngest such champions ever.[8] In August of 2009, Robson tied for first at the Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromso, Norway, garnering his first GM norm in the process.[9]