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GM Robert Hess

GM Robert Hess, Photo Tony Rich of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

Robert Hess is a young American posterboy for combining excellence in chess and schoolwork. While going to one of the nation's most prestigious high schools, Stuyvesant (in New York City), Robert earned his Grandmaster title at just 17 years old. Soon after this feat, Robert became the runner-up at the 2009 US Chess Championship, keeping pace with the eventual winner Hikaru Nakamura until the very last round.

In 2010, Hess was awarded the Samford Fellowship, which allows promising juniors support to study chess for two years. He was also accepted to Yale University, but deferred for a year to focus on chess and to participate in the 2010 Olympiad, held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Hess credits much of his success to his coach since childhood, GM Miron Sher. "He's a fantastic coach. He's very good at mindset, and at predicting what openings my opponents will play."

See one of Robert's key wins from the 2009 US Chess Championship , which he almost took down:

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Also view a cover story on Robert in the June Chess Life Magazine and a 2009 CLO interview, which took place just after he secured his third GM norm.

GM Robert Hess

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