Panamanian Chess Championship

The Panamanian Chess Championship is the individual national chess championship of Panama. The first edition was played in 1945 and won by Rubén Darío Cabrera. It was originally a biennial event, and from 1945 to 1961 six championships were played, and from 1962 to 1971 eight championships. From 1972 to 1976, it was held annually, but the tournament of 1977 never finished because the beginning of a long schism in Panamanian chess. From 1978 to 1988, it was again held annually. In 1982,1989 and from 1991 to 2004, two organizations held separate events, resulting in two champions, but in 1990 there was a single competition, and therefore one champion. In 2004 both federations made peace, and since 2005 then there has only been one championship each year. In the end of the 1970th's they make the firt women's chess championship and began as annual event since 2002. Panama is the only country in the world where a father and daughter have been champions in the same year twice, 2004 and 2008. To show the rise of new istmhian chess, Panama took in 2008 the Centroamerican Championship by the hand of Jorge Baúles, first IM of Panama. In the Youth categories the signal (abs) show a champion in one big tournament with various categories at same time. In 2010 don't played because official budgets trouble with "PANDEPORTES", the government sports entity (they have 3 chiefs in only eleven months), and played the tournament in the firsts months of 2011. In the final round of 2014 tournament, two players was tied in all planned playoffs and the two were proclaimed champions. One is foreigner, but change his country flag as panamaenian in ratings.fide.com in march 2015, and is the fourth to win the title. Usually the panamaenian common considered overseas with over five years of residence, as one of their own.

Champions

References

• Federacion de Ajedrez de Panama
• Federacion de Ajedrez de Panama previous website
• Partial winners list from Ajedrez Ataque
• Detailed results: 2003-2005 editions
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/rupertomiller/collections/72157619785675895/
• http://www.chessresults.com/
• "FINALES Y PROBLEMAS ELEMENTALES DE AJEDREZ"; author "LUIS FARRUGIA", recopilated by "JUAN RAMON MARTINEZ D'ETTORE". copright "EDITORA DE LA NACION, PANAMA REP DE PANAMA, orden No.1636, 1977