Cuba takes 2nd place at Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities

Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept 17 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban chess team ranked second at the 3rd Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities. The Caribbean squad—comprising International Masters Carlos Larduet and Pedro Morales, along with Hector Luis Fuentes, Idalis Batista, and Alberto Interian—delivered a historic performance, securing six victories in seven matches and suffering a single defeat.

September 18, 2026
08:59

That lone loss was a narrow one vs Poland, the two-time champion and top-ranked team in the competition.

The Cuban team amassed a total of 16.5 points—compared to Poland’s 17.5—thereby improving upon the fifth-place finish achieved in the previous edition.

In the seventh and final round, the players coached by Santiago de Cuba native Omar Garcia Martinez defeated the Czech Republic 2.5–1.5, sealing their best-ever result in the history of these Olympiads.

With this outcome, the Cuban team confirmed its status as the second-highest-seeded squad among the 41 participating teams based on average Elo rating, trailing only Poland.

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