The largest international chess event in Dominican history opens this Friday

Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) and the Dominican Chess Federation (FDA) will begin this Friday, September 16, the first annual International Classic in memory of the great Dominican humanist, the most important ever held in the country.

The opening ceremony of the “Pedro Henríquez Ureña In Memoriam”, as the tournament is officially called, will be held in the university’s auditorium at 9:00 a.m. and an hour later the tournament will begin, in which players of the highest level from the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Spain and Cuba, countries where Pedro Henríquez Ureña lived and taught.

The President of the Republic, Mr. Luis Abinader, was invited to the opening ceremony.

Following the protocol that normally regulates this type of activity, the opening ceremony will be addressed by the rector of UNPHU, architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón and the president of the Chess Federation, Pedro Dominguez Brito.

The tournament will be attended by players Fernando Peralta, from Argentina; Alejandro Ramírez, from the United States; Manuel León Hoyos, Mexico; Fernando Cuenca, Spain and Yasser Quezada Pérez, from Cuba, former champions of their respective countries, all possessing the title of Grand Master, the highest distinction granted by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

The foreign cast will be joined by 15 Dominican players, two of whom hold the title of International Master, such as Josué Araujo and José Manuel Domínguez, both former national champions. And five others with the title of Maestro FIDE.

The president of the Chess Federation, Pedro Domínguez Brito said that this is the most important international chess event, which will be held annually in September and thanked the Rector of UNPHU, architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón, “for the use of the facilities provided and for the enthusiasm expressed with this commitment, that without it this event could not be possible”. He indicated that the tournament has great interest at world level, which is supported by the International Chess Federation, and the results will be validated for the world ranking of the participants.  

Domínguez Brito also said that this first annual classic allows the country to fully enter the international chess elite, congratulating UNPHU for the initiative and the effort made to make it possible. “With this classic we have made an international commitment that will raise the level of Dominican chess and make the week-long edition of this first edition the capital of the science game world.”

The manager of the tournament will be under the responsibility of Erick Hernández, from El Salvador, who is president of zone 2.3 of FIDE America. He will be assisted by Leonardo Estévez, Dominican international referee and will be coordinated by Braulio Ramírez, general secretary of the Chess Federation.