The History of Chess in Palma Soriano
Chess was first known in Palma Soriano in 1852, with the arrival of politicians Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Lucas del Castillo and José Fornaris. According to the researches, chess was the only sport with a club established in the “Land of Cauto River” in 1924.
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Jorge Baró Áreas, a veteran of the pro-independence war, Juanito Castaño and brothers René and Magín Puig were the pioneers.
In the 1960s some players usually organized tournaments in their own houses, such as Mario Coss and José Luis Neyra Estrada, and shared their knowledge. The tournaments were attended by the best players of the municipality. That’s the case of the one held in March and April 1978 to salute the 11th Festival of Youth and Students, which took place in Cuba. The list of participants included Alfredo Bueno, Master of International Chess Federation, Rubén Soria Neira, National Expert, Provincial Experts Roberto Rodríguez, Agustín Rodríguez, Alberto Borrell, Luis Manuel Leyva, Héctor Bringas and Guillermo Pérez.
Cuba has counted on outstanding chess players, such as Manuel Rojas, Rafael Chang and Santiago Céspedes in the 1960 decade and Gustavo Furet, Alexander Rodríguez, Eric Ramírez, Orlando Alfaro, Osbel Rivera, Elier Hernández, Eudel Hernández, Arnoldo de la Cruz, Arsenio Silvera, Mauricio Torres, Adrián Hernández, Serguei Quintana and Yoandry Peña in the 1990s.
Female players joined the game after the 1960 decade, with Juanita Sosa, who was the first students of Master Carlos Álvarez Fiol along with other girls. History also mentions remarkable chess players like National Expert Flora Morales Neyra, sisters Ileana and Alicia Verdecia, Day Hernández, Haydee García, Isabel Fuentes, Yurina Pupo Lahera, Yadira Robert, Yanet Vaillant, Dayianis Grant, Dayli Cabrera, Arelis Álvarez Canet, who became a Provincial Expert at the age of 11, and Maggie Riquenes de la Fé, Bronze medalist in the 2014 National Pioneer Competitions and Provincial Champion.
Nowadays, Daniela Forgas Moreno and Mayra Aymé Cabrera Ladrón de Guevara are the top representatives with excellent results in different national events.
But the most prodigious period of chess in Palma Soriano began in 1977 when “Cauto 77” tournament was organized as an initiative of Leonardo Méndez Vila. Due to the quality of the competition and overwhelming participation of the people, the municipal authorities made the arrangements to make it international in 1978 and that edition was attended by chess players from different Latin American countries, such as Mexican Marcel Sisniega, Colombian Luis García, Antonio Agudelo and Alonso Zapata, Venezuelan Alonso Palacio.
Among the national athletes that participated in those events we can mention IM Lázaro Bueno, Alberto Rivera and Jorge Arma, GM Jesús Nogueira, NE Humberto Pecorelli, MF Emilio Pupo; as well as Peruvian IM Julio Granda, Ecuadorian Carlos Matamoros and Mexican Gilberto Hernández.
These Cauto tournaments were held through 1989. The enthusiasts of the science sport yearn for those times, but it has been cultivated in Palma Soriano and great results have been achieved.
*With the contribution of Mauricio Rodríguez Betancourt.
