I'm Grayson Rorrer, a 20-year-old International Master with two GM Norms and an avid writer from Lockhart, TX. Feel free to offer a friend request or use this direct link :) I have limited availability for coaching/training games, you're welcome to send a message here or email if interested!

Please, don't invite me to clubs unless we're already acquainted, I'm not looking to become a part of online communities at present. I also don't accept challenges, my sincere apologies. No offense intended, but I don't have much time to spare and usually can't respond to messages either.

Titled players, please send me a message if you may be interested in mutually beneficial training games, I've become a bit disillusioned from blitzing in the pool Good times in the past, but at present I am fully focused on improving my chess skills and getting as far as possible. While I still have the time to dedicate to this fascinating game – in other words, before life throws a wrench in the equation…

chess.com messaging isn't exactly glamorous, I accept them, but for long-term cooperation it'd be ideal to move elsewhere. I don't have too much of an online presence, which is a conscious choice, but we can get in touch via WhatsApp (contact to start a conversation) or Discord (username: grandmaster2b ).

I suggest all you fellow puzzle enthusiasts scoring above 40 in three minute puzzle rush/battle, or 48 in five minutes, and looking to improve further – or just connect with other skilled solvers from around the world – check out the PRO Puzzle Solvers Team. Hope to see you around!

My best achievements on the battlefield, which I've now mostly stepped back from but hold fond memories of nonetheless:

My current high score – 57 in three-minute Puzzle Rush and 58 in Puzzle Battle. I have also achieved 50 in two minutes and around 34 or 35 in one minute. Now, if only I could sustain that kind of pace throughout…
63 in five minute puzzle rush is the most I've managed to muster thus far, while my individual puzzle rating peaked at an absurd ~9100 (haven’t tried the new system). Mainly on account of memorization, though I could hold around 4000-4300 alone.
December 9th 2020: I entered top 50 in the World for the first time (#49) by adopting @Peshkach, and achieved my current peak rating of 2903. To be fair, Tihon was streaming, and ratings were definitely inflated back then, but still no easy feat. Since then I've managed to push 2700 on occasion, which isn't bad at all either. Since then I’ve also entered the top 40 with a more realistic 2760 (still rather high), as of January 2026, but never thought to take a screenshot when achieving it sadly.
I've had the good fortune to do battle with a number of immensely strong chess players, like GM Frederik Svane, IM Casper Schoppen, innumerable GMs/IMs, and taken some memorable scalps. One highlight was a match against GM Baadur Jobava (not my last time crossing paths with the enigmatic Georgian GM, as we'll see…) that I won to the tune of 27-12. Certainly not reflective of his true strength, by any means…
The honor was all mine to play several long matches against the crown prince of the battlefield himself, @jimis98. On May 10, 2023 the score was 14½-27½ in his favor, which is about the best I could hope for against this absolute monster, unless it's 3:00 AM in Greece :) For the most part I was used as a punching doll, and I hope the training was useful for him in some way. Nowadays, though, I don't have that kind of time to waste!
1-16-25: I lasted into the top 15 of chess.com's Community Puzzle Championship when, plagued by connectivity and lag issues, I couldn't keep up the pace. I might have made it another round or two under better circumstances, but can't be too disappointed by the outcome, as it came with little practice.
1-15/16-26: I was the sixth qualifier to the knockout stage in chess.com's Community Puzzle Championship. My performance in the initial Rush Royale stage was sufficient to hold on, until I had a chance and reached the top two with 56 in three-minutes.
Another highly unexpected result, from an amateur who only plays once every year or so :) I had similar technical issues on the first day. My internet cable sprouted legs and popped out from the computer 3-4 times (including my lone appearance on the official broadcast), occasionally disrupting a good run. Once I accidentally jostled the computer and my second monitor disconnected out of nowhere. This on top of the general lag which comes with running intensive streaming and meeting (Zoom) programs on a rather old computer, made for plenty of adversity.
In the top-eight knockout portion, I lost 5-2 initially against a superior opponent in @vi_pranav, before narrowly defeating another Indian GM @mitrabhaa on tiebreaks in the loser’s bracket at 2-2 with a clutch final round win. My match thereafter against fellow Texan, GM @jefferyx, was back and forth. It could have gone my way, as tiebreaks were in my favor, but I lost the decisive final encounter, falling to a 2½-1½ overall defeat which made for a shared-sixth place final outcome.
All in all, though I might have done even better, it was a brilliant result considering my current capabilities and (lack of) practice.

All fun and games, but naturally the only real test of skill lies in the tournament hall. A summary of my accomplishments so far –

Working my way up from the level of a beginner, in under four years I achieved the USCF rating marks of Class A (1800+, 1y. 2m.), Expert (2000+, 2y. 3m.) and, finally, National Master right in time before the pandemic hit (2200+, 3y. 10m.). Since then National Rating hasn't been of the slightest interest to me, but it was a good benchmark starting out.
After the pandemic I soon established myself as a dangerous if raw and inconsistent player, crossing 2200 FIDE in June 2021. My first real achievement on an International level was tying for first in the 2022 Charlotte Fall IM Norm Invitational (just before Thanksgiving Weekend) with 7/9, and scoring my first norm in the process! It's nostalgic now to look back at these formative games in my chess life and laugh at how unformed and, honestly, weak of a player I still was. Sometimes luck at exactly the right time is what one needs to progress further, and I'll profess to receiving my fair share of it at times.
Plateaus often follow major breakthroughs and I had a big drop in results and level of play in early 2023. Soon I started to adjust though, and finally, having achieved a more mature style through hard work, I was ready to move ahead. A trip to Budapest in October 2023 was a major success, as I scored my second IM Norm in the First Saturday GM Norm Invitational and gained 73 FIDE rating points in the process, finally breaking out of a slump.
For a time, success almost followed success – the 2023 SPICE Cup (just before Christmas) would have provided me with my final IM Norm needed from a Swiss, and the title, if I had faced one more foreign player… As it was, myself and four other players were robbed of proper recognition, including the outright tournament winner. There was even a meme made about the injustice of it all :)
After a few rough outings I made a major breakthrough towards the ultimate title in chess, achieving my maiden GM Norm with 7/9 in St. Louis (February 2024)! It certainly wasn't what I expected, since I had come straight off a 3/9 bottom feeder finish just days before. Fate has strange ways of exerting its influence…
I had quite a few hard days throughout 2024, and struggled heavily with consistency. Throwing away a golden opportunity for my last IM Norm at the National Open (June 2024) was a real low point, and remains one of my most painful memories. However, the potential was all there.
Fatefully, I came back to the 2024 SPICE Cup with a vengeance and hunger to prove myself at last. I did so in a big way – playing on the top boards throughout the entire event, I faced eight 2550 GMs, with an overall score of 6½/9. I've never shown such a consistently patient, steady hand against similarly strong opposition before. The result placed me in a tie for third place, one of the money spots ($1750), and I could have competed for all the glory with a stronger finishing spurt. As it was, my efforts did enough to finally confirm my IM title and secure my second GM Norm with a point to spare – the only norm performance at that event.
That's where I'm at today (November 2024), confident in my skills and working hard to make my dream a reality. I didn't get to skip any titles, but am proud to have made the jump from FM to IM as a dangerous competitor with two GM Norms under my belt already. As always, there's nothing to do but take it one game at a time – what used to be mere fantasy is closer than ever to fait accompli

Here's a selection of strong/enjoyable moments from my online blitzing – I don't play these games seriously anymore, but fun times indeed – and more meaningful real life tournament practice. Enjoy, and may we one day meet at the board!

Grandmaster2B