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The International Grandmaster of chess Lázaro Bruzón published a post on Facebook this Thursday in which he reflects on the ideological indoctrination he was subjected to during his life in Cuba. He stated that this process “leads to fanaticism, impairs critical thinking, and often also logic”.
Bruzón, born in Holguín in 1982 and residing in the United States since 2018, explained that indoctrination consists of "creating a mold: constantly feeding us ideas, teaching us to accept them as good without questioning them or reasoning for ourselves."
To illustrate his argument, the chess player referred to a personal episode: his first visit to the United States in 2013, when he arrived in Washington and New York feeling deeply insecure.
"I must confess that at first I felt insecure, predisposed towards people; I thought the interactions would be harsh, offensive, and I even avoided openly stating that I was Cuban," he wrote.
Bruzón acknowledged that those perceptions had no real basis, but were a direct result of decades of regime propaganda: "I quickly realized that all of this was the consequence of the indoctrination we were subjected to for years, where the United States and its people were portrayed as the enemy. Without a doubt, I was wrong."
The chess player described how his perceptions changed radically after repeated visits and six years of living and studying at American universities, in environments where "Spanish is practically not spoken." "I have never experienced any rejection for being Cuban; on the contrary, I have been welcomed with open arms," he stated.
The testimony of Bruzón holds particular weight because it does not come from a historical dissident, but from someone who was part of the system's structures before emigrating. Before leaving Cuba, he was a member of the Young Communists Union and the People's Power Assembly in Las Tunas. He even went so far as to tattoo Che Guevara on his body, something that he confessed in February as a reflection of that youth indoctrination.
This text is part of a series of critical statements that Bruzón has made public in recent months. In February, he accused the regime of sinking the country since 1959 and proposed transitions towards private property and a free market. In April, he stated that “every Cuban who leaves Cuba becomes an enemy of the regime”, and also described the Cuban authorities as being “sick with power.”
The reflection by Bruzón aligns with documented complaints regarding the Cuban educational system as a tool for indoctrination. In April of this year, it was reported that preschool children in Havana were forced to chant slogans such as "Fidel," "socialism," and "militia" during school activities. In March, students reenacted “anti-imperialist tribunals” judging the government of the United States in schools throughout the capital. And in September 2025, it was revealed that first-grade math books included images of Fidel Castro in basic exercises.
The Grand Master concluded his publication with a reflection on those who are still trapped in that logic: "And so there are still many in Cuba, repeating slogans and speaking fanatically about things they have really only heard. The great difference is that today there is the internet and access to information."
The chess player, who earned the title of Grandmaster at the age of 17 and won the World Youth Championship in 2000, has publicly stated that he will only return to Cuba "when the country is free and democratic".
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