Teen wins $2,833 in chess tournament

By TOM GERMOND

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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Photo by BETSY DYNAKO

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SEMINOLE – A local teenager, the youngest competitor in a 25-player field, finished in 11th place at the U.S. Chess Championships in St. Louis.

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Ray Robson, 14, won four matches, tied another four and lost just once in the nine-round event and picked up $2,833 in prize money at the championships, which ended May 17. His father, Gary Robson, said in an e-mail that he taught Ray to play chess when he was 3 years old.

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By 11, he was already the youngest chess master in Florida and now, three years later, he is working on becoming a grandmaster.

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“We started playing chess as another father and son activity – just something that I thought we could enjoy together,” Gary said. Gary takes his son to a major event once each month. It takes a lot of time for Ray to prepare for each tournament, and the trips are expensive, especially since he is playing international events.

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“The events themselves are very tiring – usually nine rounds with each game 4 to 6 hours, depending on the time control. That is a long time to stay mentally focused,” Gary said. Ray said he would like to play professionally.

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“However, you have to be one of the best in the world to make a good living as a chess player. I like the challenge of chess. In chess, it is just you against the other person. You have to prepare well, stay focused throughout the game, manage your time carefully, and try to outplay the person sitting across from you,” Ray said.

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The Web site for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, where the U.S. Chess Championships were played, called Ray a “phenom.”

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Gary is a professor of education at St. Petersburg College. Ray’s mother, Yee-chen Robson, is a Chinese teacher at Safety Harbor Middle School. Ray has not attended school since fifth grade. He studies at home.

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Article published on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Article last modified on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 -->

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