Dylan Berdayes Leaves the Capablanca Chess Crown in Cuba

In a clear draw agreed before the round began, Dylan shook hands with fellow Cuban Jorge Roberto Elías and was ready to celebrate at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba with a crown he has held since 2025.

Dylan, also champion in the Blitz chess tournament held three days earlier, achieved five victories and four draws as part of a performance that earned him 15.7 Elo points and confirmed the expectations of many who had him as favorite.

The Havana native is the third man to score a "double" in terms of reign in this Capablanca category, previously joined by fellow Cubans Carlos Hevia (2011-2012) and Juan Carlos Obregón (2013-2014).

The podium was completed by Elías and Luis Lázaro Agüero, both with 6.5 points but placed in that order by tiebreak.

Notable data include that the top seven places were occupied by home players, with the best foreign performance being seventh place by 15-year-old Argentine Ilan Schnaider. He had reached the fourth round as leader and although he finished undefeated, from the fifth round onward he could only manage draws against each opponent faced.

Cuban Maritza Arribas delivered the most outstanding performance among women, finishing with 5.5 points (three wins, five draws, and only one loss), placing 20th and adding an impressive 57.8 Elo points.

Many other individual performances can be highlighted after the 59th edition of America's oldest tournament, which had 122 contestants in its single group, hosted the aforementioned Blitz event, and included the "Buscando un Capablanca" youth tournament in its program.

The satisfaction of not giving up this traditional event, despite difficult economic conditions and the intensified U.S. blockade against the Island, is also another reason to smile.