Chess Coach Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault

It's disturbing to report, but hiding such cases will, I fear, only contribute to more of them. In a story reported at GM Susan Polgar's blog, chess author and coach Robert Snyder of Fort Collins, Colorado pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a child and one count of unlawful sexual contact.

In the www.coloradoan.com article referenced in Polgar's blog, reporter Sara Reed writes that "Under the terms of the plea agreement, Snyder will serve two years in the Larimer County Detention Center for the unlawful sexual contact charge and will spend the rest of his life on sex offender intensive supervised probation... Under the terms of his probation, Snyder has to register as a sex offender, cannot have any contact with individuals under the age of 18, cannot have access to the Internet and will continue to have his passport held by the court."

The vast majority of teachers and chess coaches, of course, are decent individuals. This isn't much consolation, however, if you're the one or your child is the one affected by one of the bad apples. Kids and parents, just take reasonable precaution and report suspicious activity.