GM Vinay Bhat

Bio: Vinay Bhat learned chess at six and a half years old and achieved the then-current record of youngest national master at ten years, six months old. Having represented the United States nine times at different World Youth competitions, including five top-five results, Bhat brings International experience to the U.S. Championship. He blazed through the rankings and earned his International Master title in 2000. After a relatively inactive period, during which he earned a degree in Statistics and Political Economy from U.C. Berkeley, GM Bhat returned to the chess world; he received the Samford Fellowship at the age of 24, which allowed him to leave his position at Cornerstone Research to return to chess full-time. Bhat earned his Grandmaster title in 2008 and is perched atop his highest-ever published FIDE rating of 2549.