New Champ crowned in Cuba

Yaniet Marrero, New Cuban Chess Championby PL — last modified Feb 10, 2011 03:17 PM

Cuban Grandmaster Yaniet Marrero, from Las Tunas province, won the National Chess Tournament by defeating her rival, Oleiny Linares, from Santiago de Cuba.

The new champion unseated her rival, winner of the title in 2010, during a marathon competition on Wednesday that lasted more than seven hours, according to the National Information Agency (AIN).

The perseverance and fighting spirit of the Olympic gold medallist allowed her gain an advantage over Oleiny in the second conventional game, with 53 moves of a Pirc Defense.

It was a very tense game, but in the end psychological training and luck were decisive, Marrero told AIN.

The athlete said she was grateful for the special training she received in her hometown shortly before the tournament, along with her coach GM Vivian Ramon, one of the main people responsible for her win.

Source: http://www.escambray.cu