Two women will represent Panama

National champion Lourdes Vasquez, 18, and 12-year-old Ashley Castillo, from Bogator, will represent Panama at the Chess Olympics in Chennai from July 28 to August 10. , India..

Young Panamanian talent in the company of Fide Master Yalika Chung; Alba Muñoz, Female Teacher Candidate, and Yolis Rondon will carry the Panamanian flag to the event in India, where more than 187 countries from around the world will participate.

Castillo is a seventh-year student at IPT Bocas and is the first female minor to represent Panama at the Chess Olympiad. At the recently held FIDE World School Chess Championship 2022 in Panama, he finished second in the U1400 Blitz tournament with 95 players in the Absolute category, scoring 8 points in 9 rounds.

Chess has always been his passion, so he wants to get a scholarship or sponsorship to continue progressing in this sport as his parents have paid for his preparation so far. She insisted that she would go a little further, earning titles and setting her sights on one day becoming Panama’s first female Grand Master.

Lourdes Vasquez, for her part, said that the national championship has been her dream since she started playing chess, and with this goal achieved, all that remains is to train hard to retain the title in addition to making the Olympic team. And reach out to many nationally and internationally.

Be it any career, job or sport, only with discipline and patience will you get the success you want and if you do things right, the rewards will keep coming,” said the English major. Since he started participating in the confederation’s matches until today, Lourdes Pedro Valdes has been part of the club, which has always supported him and enjoyed every important step with him.

The delegation is endorsed by the Panamanian Chess Federation headed by Carlos Carrillo Pujol, who has given the game a big boost in recent years.

The Chess Olympiads will bring together chess players from 187 countries and 162 countries in the women’s category, the largest participation in history. BC at the Four Points by Sheraton Convention Center in India, considered by many to be the birthplace of chess. 600 A.D. A historical event played by the Sanskrit name “Chaturanga” takes place.