14ymedio, Havana, 2 January 2024 — The unexpected departure of Leinier Domínguez in the Sunway Sitges tournament (Barcelona) last December did not prevent the Cuban from starting the year as the eighth best chess player in the world, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE). With 2,752 Elo* and playing under the American flag, it is not the most notable score of the great master, but it is his best mark in the international ranking.
The Cuban has been one of the top ten of FIDE on three other occasions, always with a better score than this year and in 10th place. In May 2014, he had 2,768 Elo; in August 2019, 2,763, and in October of that same year, also 2,763.
Domínguez – who at 40 is the oldest member on the list – was in seventh place for several weeks and had his sights set on the Candidates Tournament, which will be held in April in Canada. However, on September 16, in Barcelona, he agreed to a draw with the young Indian chess player Anand Pranav and withdrew from the tournament for health reasons.
His participation in the Sitges contest responded to a FIDE requirement that participants in the Candidate Tournament win in a competition outside the country they represent
His participation in the Sitges contest responded to a FIDE requirement that participants in the Candidate Tournament win in a competition outside the country they represent. According to the Spanish journalist Leontxo García, the measure – which has generated great controversy – forced Domínguez to “fly urgently” to Spain, with a view to complying with the Federation and guaranteeing the points he needed.
It couldn’t be. García himself, in his comment on the Cuban’s performance in
