Robert Snyder
Chess Teacher sexually molested three of his students. The charges were filed after the father of one of his students found Snyder and his son in the boy's room with a chair wedged against the shut door.
Click HERE for the story from the Denver Channel.com.
A chess teacher who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child was sentenced Wednesday to two years in County Jail with 10 years to life of probation, the Larimer County District Attorney's office said.
Robert Snyder pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual assault on a child and unlawful sexual contact after being accused in 2005 of sexually assaulting three of his students. Snyder faced four counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and two counts of sexual assault on a child pattern of abuse. The abuses were alleged to have happened at his home in late 2002 and the summer of 2005.
The district attorney's office said that for the duration of his probation Snyder will be on a sexual intensive probation, which is meant to make sure he is always monitored and has no contact with children. Officials said once he is out of jail, he must register as a sex offender and must submit to genetic counseling. The DA's office said he must also write a letter of apology to the victim.
Snyder owned the Fort Collins-based Chess For Juniors that operated out of his home.
The recent charges weren't the first to surface regarding Snyder who moved to Colorado from California in 2000. In 1983, he was found not guilty on four counts of sexual assault a California student. A judge dismissed the fifth count against him, according to the Los Angeles Times. The charges were filed after the father of one of his students found Snyder and his son in the boy's room with a chair wedged against the shut door, the Times reported.
The not guilty verdicts came after a four-week trial and two hours of deliberation by the jury.
Snyder is the author of several chess books published by Random House, which includes the bestseller "Chess For Juniors," and has written articles for "Chess Life" and "School Mates" magazines, according to his Web site. The Web site also said that Snyder taught the game to students such as actor Will Smith, and the son of actor Nicholas Cage.
8 comments:
The charges against Robert Snyder are grave. I have faith that the justice system is fair in caring for the victims and preventing future abuse.
Thank you for providing the opportunity to comment. You seem to prefer to be anonymous. I choose to give my name: Andrius Kulikauskas
I was a chess student of Robert's from about 1977 to 1981, ages thirteen to sixteen or so.
Robert is one of the finest people I know, certainly among chess players. He's made a difference in hundreds of people's lives, helping them discover and foster their genius. I'm very glad that he's shared his gifts as an author as well.
Once, when I was his student, he used a chair to keep the door shut. He said this was because his mother had a habit of disturbing lessons. Then he sat next to me, gazed at me and asked if I knew how special I was to him? I told him angrily that I was very uncomfortable with him and he must sit on the other side of the board and keep the door unlocked. Later, I told my mother. I was going to quit the lessons, and I thought it was very wrong what he did, and something should be done. She said that it was up to me, but inclined me not to judge too harshly. I did continue the lessons and he behaved correctly.
A few years later, he was charged in a rather similar situation, but he was found not guilty and a charge was dimissed.
Robert was, at heart, a child and his gregariousness was always childlike. I don't think our world has much place for that, but certainly he made our world better. He was always vulnerable, and I am sad that he hurt others who were vulnerable.
I think that Robert is creative enough and positive enough to find a way to apply his talents without focusing on children. I hope that our society is healthy enough to include somebody like Robert.
My feeling in these situations is that our society is not supportive of people like Robert who are struggling to make the best of the genetic predisposition they have been dealt. Our society is sick and we're not much interested to seek a cure.
Jesus speaks of hell as a place that will forever burn away, clean away all of our faults. I could wish that for all of us.
I hope yet that we all might have the impact that Robert has, and that together we might all enjoy heaven.
Thank you for allowing me to post here.
From what I understand this whole thing was a shakedown by those who filed lawsuits to in an attempt to get money from this self made millionare in chess. Using the "Witchhunt" for personal, political and financial gain is not new. Understanding that the man had taught tens of thousands of students and rumors spread by competitors and those with something to gain finding only three or four who would make an allegation is not surprizing. The system also allows prosecutors to threaten a life sentence with a biased jury after negative publicity in liu of a much smaller sentence even making defense attorneys begging their client to "take the deal" in the system when the client is running out of money and cannot afford a two month trial against the state. Mr. Kulikauskas, your thoughts are based on what the press has presented in what was "feed" to them by the system. I bet your were never touched inapropriately in anyway by this man after spending a lot of time with him and if I am right you should think think twice or even thrice before passing judgment. I perhaps have my own bios (which I admit) knowing someone who was falsley accused by five and only to find out the entire thing was a scam after the person was sentence to life then later the guilt of two of those who put him there came forward with the truth. Our Society can distroy people on the whim of one or two people leading to a chain reaction that in the press might seem to make the person look like you would see them in hell. Have an open mind and truley make your own oppinions based on your own personal experience. You have basically provided a testimonial that this man never actualy touched you or anyone close to you after spending time with them.
sometime around 1999, robert molested my then future brother in law who was a student at his "chess for juniors" in huntington beach. robert had been a trusted friend to the family. he visited on family holidays, took the victim to play chess with wil smith, and traveled with him to chess tournaments in other states.
the victims family was wealthy. the father was a self made millionaire, and to suggest that money was a motive is absurd and wrong.
i can only imagine that the anonymous reply to this blog was the accused, and not "the friend".
having been abused myself, and knowing the signs, i can tell you with certainty that this child was abused.
I am unfortunate to share this man's name, only because when I Google myself this comes up. I am a published graduate student, and have no relation to him. He was teaching chess before I was born.
If the allegations were true, he should have found an ethical outlet for his sexual predilections, and his supposed actions were wrong and disturbed and the corrective action was duly enforced. It is impossible for me to truly know what happened or who this man is, so it is impossible for me to pass judgment.
Regardless of the hype and circumstantial evidence, I wish that maybe I could find links to my own career when I Google Robert Snyder. Why does being convicted of molesting children make someone #1 on a search engine?
I don't like seeing my name come up first as "People You'll See in Hell". That also assumes the reader will be going to hell, yes?
I was a student of his from 86 to 88 I totally thought he was gay everyone did he had about 100 or so students at that time and all the ones I talked to thought it was funny he was never seen with a woman and lived with his parents where he taught his classes. A few times we asked him about girls or a girlfriend and he changed the subject. But he never tryed anything with me personally he did show me his M-16 one time well I was waiting for my mom to pick me up. Which I thought was cool( i was 14) but also really weird this does not surprise me at all and I'm glad I didn't go to the jr. high nationals in 88 or 87 like I was suppose. Looking back now I can see why my school chess teach Mr. Barber didn't like the guy. I was never aware of his previous court case if my family would of known of it I probably would never have went to his classes. Yeah I learned alot from this guy probably increased my rating by 200 but that doesn't excuse being a baby raper. I hope he gets everything coming to him in prison.
TODAY IS CAPS LOCK DAY AND ROBERTO SNYDERO THE GREAT SHOULD BE LET GO BECAUSE OF THE KOTORNESS IN HIM, HE IS MY FRIEND! RAWR, I HAVE RUINED THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS WITH MY CAPS LOCK OF FURY ON CAPS LOCK DAY!
~THE GUY
My son was a student of his for a couple years and swears he never touched him despite the many times he was alone with him. I do find it interesting that that those who have first hand experience say he never touched them.
My son had one chess lesson with Robert Snyder in Fort Collins, CO in 2000 when he was just six years old. My wife did not allow my son to have another lesson because of her observations of Snyder's behavior. I am glad that my wife had her incredible first instinct.
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