Thalía Cervantes Landeiro

Talented Cuban chess player, young emigrant who learned to play on the streets of Havana, has made a favorable impression at the U.S. Women's Chess Championship. She is a FIDE Master.

She is an International Woman Master, National Master and one of the best young players in the country. Her most recent achievements include first place in the 2018 Pan American Women's U-20 Championship and a tie for 4th place in the 2018 World Youth Chess Championship.

Before crossing the Mexico-U.S. border with her parents on a journey to reach the United States, Thalía Cervantes played for the island, her country of origin, which she even represented in international events.

Thalía began playing chess on the streets of Havana "against older men, smokers," who claimed that "no girl could beat them."

She discovered her love for the game of science at age 7 and was able to receive classes at the Latin American Higher Institute of Chess with Grand Master Walter Arencibia.

During those years, Thalía Cervantes won several trophies representing Cuba, including first place in the U-12 category for the Central American and Caribbean Championship, as well as the Marcel Sisniega international tournament. She also won the provincial championship of Havana for players under 14 years old.

She left with her family heading to the Youth Pan American Championship in Mexico in 2014 and then her path took a different direction. When the tournament ended, she, her parents and her older sister crossed the border into the U.S.

Then came the emigrant's adaptation, studying chess many hours a day and the results began to arrive little by little, like her victory in the Susan Polgar Girls' Invitational 2015 for players under 19 years old, when she was barely 12 years old.

Thalía Cervantes has had good results in tournaments such as the Carlos Torre Open, North American Open and Continental Championship that have confirmed her as one of the talented young chess players in the U.S.

Currently living with her family in the state of Missouri, Cervantes assures that she has already gotten used to the cold and learned English. She studies chess 8 hours a day at the Saint Louis Chess Club, is a junior member of Webster University's Chess Excellence program and at the same time, is completing ninth grade of high school in an online program.