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GM-Elect Ray Robson!

  • SonofPearl
  • on Mon, 10/12/2009 10:16am.

The young American chess player, Ray Robson (pictured), has just achieved his third and final GM-norm result, and therefore qualifies as a Grandmaster at just 14 years, 11 months and 16 days!

It's a close run thing, but it looks like Robson might therefore become the youngest American GM in history, just beating Fabiano Caruana's record by a few days [UPDATE - this has been disputed, it's too close to call!].  Bobby Fischer was a comparatively mature 15 years and 6 months when he became a GM.

Robson just missed out last month during Susan Polgar's SPICE competition, but he dominated the field in Panamerican Junior Championship to win with a score of 7.5/8, his only draw coming in the last round to secure the title.

Robson's game against GM Andre Diamant is below.


Just in case all this talk of chess prodigies in the news leads us old folks to believe we are over the hill, let's remember that last month another US player finally achieved the GM title at the tender age of 40.  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ben Finegold is a Grandmaster.

Ben Finegold (picture from the Ben Finegold blog)

Congratulations to both Ben and Ray!

4301 reads 19 comments
2 votes

Comments


  • 22 months ago

    markronilodevera

    w0w... chess pr0s these days were really amazing and techn0l0gy helped them 0ut... i w0nder if paul m0rphy, capablanca and fischer were reb0rn t0day?

  • 2 years ago

    ebernal97

    eres mi idolo compa

  • 3 years ago

    alsoni

    Man...I really gotta catch up with that Ray Kid.....I'm <1400 and 13yrs old this year

  • 3 years ago

    squareblazer

    I thought I read somewhere on this site that Robson may be our next Fischer, but I believe Robson is our Magnus Carlsen!  Why?  With computers and databases, a kid his age can know more about chess than Fischer did in his entire life!  (This is Kasparov's opinion and I agree.)  Cheers!

  • 3 years ago

    balifid

    I am proud to say I have a 2-0 record against this kid.  Both games were about five years ago when he was rated 500.

     

    Since then I've gained about 200 points; he has gained about 2000.

  • 3 years ago

    Anothernewjack

    I knew Robson would be a GM before he was 15.Surprised

  • 3 years ago

    nibir

    Wow...GM at the age of 40 SurprisedSurprised

    that is an excellent game.

  • 3 years ago

    spank_the_bishop

    Yeah Andre Diamant messed that up big-time.  It looked to be in the bag.

    But what the game score doesn't tell you is the time on the clocks... so maybe Diamant only got into such a great position because he had used up too much time, so Ray had plenty of time to take advantage of his disasterous play towards the end.

    But take nothing away from young Ray - great achievement, great talent for the future!

  • 3 years ago

    Scarblac

    @SerbianChessStar: I guess Black just plays ...b5.

  • 3 years ago

    SerbianChessStar

    37. b4 > looks like it wins a knight for a pawn? anyone?

    why isnt this a good move, someone explain please?

  • 3 years ago

    FM charlesgalofre

    when will pepsi or cocacola sponsor Ray?

    I will take this moment to say i have a equal score vs little Ray :D

    hehehe.

    hes so awesome.

     

    Congrats Ben.

  • 3 years ago

    drphon98

    Congratulations Rob & Ben! I'll follow u

  • 3 years ago

    chirp55

    diamant just messed that one up

  • 3 years ago

    IamVoltaire

    Ben Finegold still might never make GM, because so far, after over two weeks, the SPICE tournament is STILL not rated. Supposedly, USCF TDs are to submit tournament results within at least a week, but not this one. In fact, because I like to keep up with Ray Robson's progress, I always check for his latest tournament results, and nearly every one of his last five tournaments have gone well over a week or two before being submitted.

    So, good luck, Ben. I hope you get credit some day for the SPICE tournament. Maybe the TD will submit it within a year or two, when he finds the time.

  • 3 years ago

    conman1000

    This deserves to be up-top, and good job Robson.

  • 3 years ago

    Phobetor

    Ray actually got quite lucky in that game against Diamant. I'm sure he deserves the GM-title, but that game was not the most convincing win. Around move 30 white is already up a pawn, at move 45 white managed to simplify and consolidate this pawn and on move 55 white even won a knight. Maybe black would just be able to hold the draw after that with best play, but the fact that he won is 100% because white went all-in and allowed those pawns to roll. White could have taken the draw at any point until move 68.

  • 3 years ago

    drumdaddy

    Most of us can only dream of such heights. 

  • 3 years ago

    skewer2000

    Ben Finegold, you are my idol!   You are a fun guy.

    For the women's division, Alisa Melekhina is my chess goddess.

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