GM Ray Robson

Ray Robson looks to defend his title at this year's U.S. Junior Closed Championship. His win last year earned him an automatic bid into the 2010 U.S. Championship, and his big tournament experience makes him a strong favorite to repeat as champion at this year's event

Ray learned chess at age 3 and has earned seven national scholastic titles since. For winning the Super Nationals in 2005, he will receive a full scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas, although he is currently focused on developing his chess game. Robson finished in the top 10 at the World Youth Championship from 2004 to 2007. He defeated his first grandmaster in 2006, the same year he earned the USCF National Master title.

He’s the youngest GM in the U.S. and is widely considered as America’s brightest hope to become an elite GM since Hikaru Nakamura. Robson studies with super-GM Alexander Onischuk, and in 2009, was the recipient of the Samford Chess Fellowship, which provides the brightest young chess players in the country with a stipend to pursue the development and advancement of their game.

Ray's first-ever major open tournament win came in 2008 at the Miami Open. He received his first norm in Tromso, Norway, in August of 2009, and he earned his second in Skokie, Illinois, that same month. He earned his last GM norm in Montevideo, Uruguay in October 2009.

Ray competed in the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Championships, both held in Saint Louis, and is the highest rated player coming into the tournament.