The Habana Libre Hotel in the center of Havana, Cuba, was the setting for the opening ceremony of the 56th International Chess Tournament Capablanca in Memory 2023 last Tuesday. Despite the difficult conditions, the Cuban Chess Federation confirmed a record of representation of 29 countries. The gala was attended by Antonio Guerrero, Hero of the Republic of Cuba, and the head of the Inder, Osvaldo Vento Montiller.
At the opening ceremony, the president of the Cuban Chess Federation, Carlos Rivero, welcomed the participants and thanked them for their support in the competition. As is tradition, the opening night included the elite group draw, which brings together the ten highest-ranked players among all the contestants.
More and more fans are eager to see chess professionals in action. The clashes of this competition have aroused the interest of the public, among which those of Eduardo Iturrizaga, the Spaniard who headed the pre-classification by ranking, and Omar Almeida, one of the five hosts who will fight for the scepter of that collective, stand out. Interesting disputes are also expected between the Brazilian Alexandr Fier and two-time monarch of the island, Carlos Daniel Albornoz and the current national runner-up Lelys Martinez who will face against the German Rasmus Svane, among others.
The opening day was also dedicated to celebrating two great chess personalities: Vivian Ramon and Ernesto Che Guevara. Ramón, the first Grandmaster of Ibero-America and an indissoluble part of Chess in Cuba, celebrated her six decades of life and returned to action as part of the senior group of the tournament. And in honor of Che Guevara, one of the precursors of the Chess game in Cuba, the contest was dedicated to the 95th anniversary of his birth, which will be celebrated on June 14th.
The evening closed with the images of the usual Chess games and visits to the first editions of the tournaments, precisely in the rooms of the emblematic Habana Libre Hotel that hosted the most important tournament in Latin America again. We are looking forward to an exciting week in which we will find out who will win the Capablanca International Chess Championship Trophy.
