Sergio Quesada wins chess championship
Nine-year run of previous champ Brandon Hannah comes to an end
Sergio Quesada of Cobourg became the new Peterborough Chess Club champion on May 9, ending the record-setting nineyear run of the former champ, Brandon Hannah. Like Hannah a decade ago, Quesada won the tournament the first time he entered it. For his accomplishment Quesada will have his name engraved on the Wayne van der Voort Memorial Trophy, named after the longtime Peterborough resident and chess enthusiast.
The van der Voort Trophy is one of Quesada’s many chess accomplishments acquired over three decades in two countries. Quesada was born in Costa Rica and learned chess from his father at the age of seven. He went on to play in Costa Rica’s chess league and led his Desamparados teammates to win the Costa Rican national championship in 1984.
Quesada moved to Cobourg in 1991 to work as an accountant for Horizons of Friendship, a charity that combats root causes of poverty in Central America and Mexico. He continued to play chess competitively after arriving in Canada, finishing strongly in several national tournaments and ultimately earning a rating just shy of the 2000 cut-off required for the prestigious title of Candidate Master (Quesada’s rating is 1994).
According to Quesada the key to becoming good at chess is consistent, long-term practice: “You cannot take time off, not even for two weeks.” Consequently, Quesada has devoted between one and two hours per evening to the study of the game for over twenty years.
Quesada’s thousands of hours of practice paid off in the championship game against Ken Craig, President of the Peterborough Chess Club for the past eight years.
Watching Quesada play was like watching a pride of lions on the hunt.
one of Quesada’s pieces played a crucial attacking role. Even the King, a piece one usually protects from danger by hiding it behind a cover of pawns, was sent by Quesada right into the heart of the battle to play a role in the victory. Despite many dangerous traps laid by Craig, and despite having only a minute left on his clock, Quesada prevailed.
Quesada is one of many new players to join the Peterborough Chess Club this year, a testament to the growth of interest in chess in the city and surrounding area.
A third of the 12 contenders in this year’s club championship competed for the first time. Craig says that chess is clearly on the rise in Peterborough.
In addition to the regular meeting of the club on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Rotary Building at the Riverview Park and Zoo, Craig intends to hold another evening of chess during the summer months at the Silver Bean Café on Mondays at 7pm, starting June 1st.
Adults and children interested in chess are invited to consult the website of the Peterborough Chess Club to keep up on the Peterborough chess scene: http://ptbochess.club.