The great Cuban master Leinier Domínguez (2,741 Elo points), who has become a naturalized American, once again stood out on the board by taking the shared second position in the National Chess Championship of the northern country.
The tournament, held at the prestigious San Luis Chess Club, concluded this Wednesday and saw Leinier draw with five players, following a strong performance that allowed him to accumulate 5.5 points out of a possible 10.
Although his start was somewhat discreet, Domínguez improved significantly in the final stretch, culminating in a victory over the talented Awonder Liang (2,667), a result that secured his place on the podium.
Among his most notable triumphs are those achieved against Abhimanyu Mishra (2,630) and Samuel Sevian (2,689). He also reached valuable draws against well-known chess players such as Levon Aronian (2,738), Wesley So (2,751), Sam Shankland (2,677), Grigory Oparin (2,662), and Fabiano Caruana (2,796), the eventual champion of the event.
With Caruana taking the title and the $62,000 prize by scoring seven points, Leinier, along with Ray Robson, Liang, Sevian, Aronian, and Hans Niemann, finished in a shared second position, each receiving a payout of $24,667.
This is another important achievement in Leinier's career, who placed second in this competition in his debut in 2019 and in 2023, in addition to a silver medal for teams with the United States at the 2024 Chess Olympiad.
Outstanding female performance by Thalía Cervantes
In the women's category, Thalía Cervantes, also a Cuban nationalized American, finished in a shared fifth position after tying in her last match with the experienced Anna Zatonskih.
Cervantes accumulated 5.5 points, with a record of three wins, three losses, and five draws. His performance reinforces the Cuban talent present in chess in the United States.
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