Webster University IM Vitaly Neimer scores his 1st GM norm by drawing against GM Ray Robson in the final round. Needing only a draw to clinch the tournament, Robson turned down a draw offer by Neimer early in the game. But Neimer continued his aggressive play and earned his norm at the end. His teammate, Robson, made him earn it.
Hard work does pay off! In the past month, IM Neimer came to the SPICE office every night after midnight on his own to use our super computer, vast database, and latest professional chess library to study chess. He spent hours preparing on his own every day, in addition to the SPICE training.
In this tournament, Neimer faced 8 of 12 GMs, from round 2-9! He scored 2 wins and 6 draws against the GMs. Congratulations, Vitaly! We are all very proud of him!
Hard work does pay off.