Robert Byrne (chess player)

For other people named Robert Byrne, see Robert Byrne (disambiguation).

Robert Byrne
Byrne in Amsterdam, 1969
Full nameRobert Eugene Byrne
CountryUnited States
Born(1928-04-20)April 20, 1928
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 12, 2013(2013-04-12) (aged 84)
Ossining, New York, U.S.
TitleGrandmaster (1964)
Peak rating2605 (July 1973)
Peak rankingNo. 12 (July 1973)

Robert Eugene Byrne (April 20, 1928 – April 12, 2013) was an American chess player and chess author who held the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM).[1] He won the U.S. Championship in 1972, and was a World Chess Championship Candidate in 1974. Byrne represented the United States nine times in Chess Olympiads from 1952 to 1976 and won seven medals. He was the chess columnist from 1972 to 2006 for The New York Times, which ran his final column (a recounting of his 1952 victory over David Bronstein) on November 12, 2006.[2] Byrne worked as a university professor for many years, before becoming a chess professional in the early 1970s.

  1. ^ "Robert Byrne, 1928–2013". United States Chess Federation. April 13, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  2. ^ Byrne, Robert (November 12, 2006). "A Farewell, After 34 Years, and a Memorable 1952 Game". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2013.