Robert Eugene Byrne (April 20, 1928 – April 12, 2013) was an American chess Grandmaster and chess author. Born in New York City, he won the U.S. Championship in 1972 and represented the country in nine Chess Olympiads from 1952 to 1976. Byrne also represented the US in five World Student Team Championships from 1952 to 1956, during which the US team won gold in 1954.
Byrne was awarded the International Master title in 1962 and the Grandmaster title in 1964. As an author, he wrote a column for The New York Times from 1972 to 2006. In 2004, following his cancellation of his column, the United States Chess Federation (USCF) named him "Dean of American Chess". In addition to his writing, Byrne was also a Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University.
During his career, Byrne played against multiple high-profile players, such as Bobby Fischer, against whom he lost a famous game at the 1963/1964 U.S. Championship. Despite this, Byrne defeated future World Champion Vasily Smyslov at the Buenos Aires Chess Club in August 1960.
Byrne passed away on April 12, 2013 due to Parkinson’s disease. He is remembered as a significant contributor to American and international chess, both as a player and writer.