Cuban chess players will move pieces for the first time this year during the national championships based in Camagüey and Holguín for the women's and men's rounds, respectively.
The formats will be identical and the fight for the crown will be added in the modalities of fast duels and Blitz, as these are those called for the contest of the Central American and Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023.
The classic tournament will not change the structure of its most recent editions, with an elimination phase that will be held by the closed system one round away.
Those who advance to the dispute of the scepter will join the eight members of the elite preselections of each sex, in which the current champions are included: the villaclareño Yasser Quesada and the santiaguera Yaniel Forgas.
In the Land of Jars, a dozen girls will gather from January 21 to fight for the four tickets that guarantee the jump to the defining phase.
As confirmed to JIT by the national methodologist, Wilfredo Toledo, that same day the men's joust will begin in Holguín with a similar route to the dispute of the throne.
Among the “seeded” candidates, the young Dylan Berdayes stands out, the most recent Grandmaster of the Island and an exponent of the ”new blood" that should impose an attractive dynamic on the classics of chess in Cuba.
Tata Steel Chess 2023 steals the show in the world
The Tata Steel Chess 2023, the first major event on the international calendar, arrives with the attractive presence of the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen.
The current world champion will appear in the Dutch city with eight reigns in tow and many dare to bet on the ninth, although high-flying rivals may complicate his aspirations.
Other tournament champions will be involved such as Americans Levon Aronian (4 times), Wesley So (1) and Fabiano Caruana (1), and host Jorden van Foreest (1).
The director of the appointment, Jeroen van den Berg, described the list of 14 confirmed for the main group as a "perfect mix between the best in the world and promising young people."
The 16-year-old Indian Dommaraju Gukesh and the 18-year-old Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov clearly exemplify the generational change that is beginning to impose its imprint on the world elite.
This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io
