Ray of hope for Robson

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Finishing a tournament strongly is a test of a chess player’s mental fortitude.

For US grandmaster Ray Robson, last rounds at key international events have always been a nightmare.

“I usually get nervous in the title-deciding final rounds and end up on the losing side,” said Ray, 17, who is here to play the world junior championship, said.

Despite becoming a GM at 14 years and 10 months, final-round nerves have forced Ray to endure a drought in age-group world championships.

In 2008, the youngest GM of the US rose to stardom by winning Miami Open, defeating a handful of grandmasters.

Ray has invariably played among the top three boards at all world youth championships but he never stood on the winner’s podium.

“I am hoping to break the last round jinx in Chennai. I am seeded sixth here and I know I have a realistic chance of winning the title,” the tall American teenager said.

Born to a Chinese mother and an American father, Ray stands a better chance of finding a place in the Olympiad team of the US. So his decision to represent his father’s country is a prudent decision.

Ask Ray about Indian chess players and he immediately starts talking about Delhi’s Parimarjan Negi, who has skipped this tournament as he has already moved up the league.

“Negi is definitely the best Indian junior. Chennai’s Narayanan Srinath is also a strong player,” he said.

According to Ray, none of the Indian players is weak. “Even in this championship, it is not easy to defeat Indian players. In the first round here, I had to work hard to press home the slight advantage I had to beat lower-rated Hemant Sharma of India,” he added.

Ray wriggled out of a losing position against a Turkmenistan player in the second round to force a draw. He was lucky in the next round as his Indian opponent Aditya Udeshi went after a flank pawn.

“His mistake gifted me a win. It was Aditya’s off-day. He is a much better player and I expected him to give me a tougher challenge,” said Ray, who went on to lose the fourth round on Friday.

The start, as usual, hasn’t been bad for the American hope. He now has the onerous task of rising to the occasion in the final rounds.