Cuban Quesada remains undefeated at continental chess tournament

Keeping his unbeaten record is part of the plans for Cuban Luis Ernesto Quesada, who with 3.5 points out of a possible 4 will face today's double round of the Continental Chess Championship of the Americas 2025, in Foz de Iguazu, Brazil.

After defeating in his most recent match against Peruvian Fiorella Contreras in 42 moves of a Queen's Gambit, in which he moved white pieces, Luis Ernesto moved up to 10th place by tiebreaker.

Quesada shares the same accumulation with 10 other players, who are separated by half a point from the leading quintet: the U.S. players Grigoriy Operin, Sam Shankland and Andrew Hong, and the hosts Nathan Felipe Filgueiras and Alexandr Fier.

They are the only ones with a perfect performance of four wins, a situation that will surely change when Oparin-Hong, Fier-Shankland and Filgueiras “look for” the Peruvian playing for Mexico, Jose Eduardo Martinez, face each other this Monday morning.

The latter is another one of those who comes to the day with a total of 3.5 points. Luis Ernesto will start the day as opponent of Chilean Hugo Lopez, also with 3.5 scores.

The continental competition offers four places for the World Chess Cup next November, which still has no definite venue, although there are already several players with assured places from the different regions of the world.

For those who live in the Americas, this is the last opportunity to qualify for the results in an event. Previously, quotas were distributed in zonal and sub-zonal competitions, and there will also be direct awards for some national federations for their results in the last Olympiad.