Robert Hess learned the rules of chess from his father at age five and quickly became hooked. He spent his formative years under the tutelage of Grandmaster Miron Sher, whose dedicated coaching helped Robert become the K-3 National Champion in 2001. By the time Robert enrolled at Stuyvesant High School, he had secured 2 IM norms and had won the 2006 US Junior Chess Championship. Although it was difficult to compete in elite tournaments while at a rigorous school, Robert managed to balance schoolwork and chess success, earning his IM title in 2007 and becoming co-champion of the 2008 Foxwoods Open. During spring of his junior year in 2009, Robert enjoyed a tremendous winning spree during which he won the Spice Spring Invitational, earned his final GM norm at the Foxwoods Open, won the individual and team titles at the High School Nationals, and surprised the field at the inaugural St. Louis US Chess Championship by taking second place. Hess was awarded the 2010 Samford Chess Fellowship, which financed his gap year between high school and college, when he played on the US Olympiad and World Team Championship squads. After that year, Robert matriculated at Yale University, from where he graduated with a degree in History in 2015. Although he was away from the board, Robert kept active in the chess community by frequently doing commentary gigs - including on Chess.com and at the 2014 US and Women's Championships and 2014 and 2015 Millionaire Chess Open - and giving lectures. Outside of chess, Robert is the Chief Operating Officer of The Sports Quotient, a digital media company that provides a platform for intellectual conversation about sports