Cuban Grand Master Leinier Domínguez is undefeated so far in the United States Chess Championship, which takes place from October 4 to 20 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, in the state of Missouri. For its part, the also Cuban Thalia Cervantes suffered its first checkmate in the women’s league of that competition.
Domínguez, considered the best Cuban chess player after the world champion of the 1920s, José Raúl Capablanca, achieved a draw against the monarch Weslely So, one of the favorites to win the trophy in the competition that brings together 14 of the top chess players in the United States.
With this Tuesday’s game, the Cuban reached 2,747 Elo points after a 40-move game with an English opening. He closed the day with a score of three and is in sixth place, very close to the tournament leader, Fabiano Caruana, who has 4.5.
In his next game, this Wednesday, the Cuban player will face the Iranian-American Grand Master Elshan Moradiabadi
In his next game, this Wednesday, the Cuban player will face the Iranian-American Grand Master Elshan Moradiabadi (2,534 Elo), who has only 1.5 points in the men’s championship, which will end on October 20.
Meanwhile, in the women’s league, the player Thalía Cervantes (2,272 Elo) suffered her first loss in the US tournament during the sixth game against Irina Krush (2,432 Elo), eight times national champion and one of the favorites.
After 41 moves on the board, he could not avoid checkmate and was in the 11th position, with a score of 2.5. She will have to reinforce her play in her next game as she will face the Ukrainian-American Anna Zatonskih (2,368 Elo), four times women’s champion of the competition in the United States.
Dominguez, established in the United States since 2018, is a five-time Cuban chess champion (2002, 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2016) and is considered the fourth best-rated American player in the world. In 2019, he placed second in the American competition and was a co-winner of the Netanya Masters in Israel. While Cervantes, at only 19 years old, seeks to break into one of the most competitive sports disciplines.
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