Cubans among the leaders of the Ibero-American Chess Championship

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 14 (ACN) The Cuban Luis Ernesto Quesada will play today among the leaders of the Ibero-American Chess Championship, which in Mexico City gathers 167 contestants and has already held three of its nine rounds.

Quesada won on Sunday's double round against Cuban Luis Manuel Perez and local Benjamin Gongora, results with which he achieved three points and by tiebreaker is eighth in a group with Spanish Jaime Santos at the top.

The Uruguayan Georg Meier, the Costa Rican Enmanuel Jimenez, the Portuguese Francisco Veiga, the Paraguayan Guillermo Vazquez, and the Cubans now playing for other countries Roberto Carlos Sanchez (Panama) and Juan Carlos Obregon (Mexico) are the others with a perfect performance of three wins.

Another player who in the next few days will be playing in the final of the Cuban elite tournament is Omar Almeida, now with 2.5 points out of a possible three and placed 12th after the draw he achieved with his fellow countryman Rodney Perez (2.5 and 21st place).

Cubans Michel Alejandro Diaz, Jony Wilson Valdes and Rafael Alejandro Medina show 2.5 scores and are part of a group that will share by tiebreaker the positions from 10 to 27.

The best-placed woman will be awarded at the event, a position currently held by Cuba's Zenia Corrales -now playing for Mexico-, with two scores and in 42nd place overall.

Karla July Fernandez (Cuba) has a similar total of two points and by tiebreaker she appears on the 42nd position, from where she will be the opponent Monday of the Ecuadorian Kevin Novoa.