Blas Antonio Castañeda Aguilera, a two-time Mexican chess champion, came to Ajijic’s Lake Chapala Society Saturday, March 9 for an exhibition match at the Huara Chess Club. Castañeda first gave a lecture on chess strategy and tactics to over 40 boys and girls, ranging from 5 to 19 years in age.
Then, the Mexican champion played simultaneous games with 25 of the children, going from board to board after every move. The exhibition lasted over two hours and while many of the children put up formidable resistance, as expected Castañeda won all of the games. Roberto Serrano, the club president, said this was a culmination of Mexican and working together to bring the benefits of chess playing to the children of the community. The club boasts over 60 members and at the 2018 open tournament more than 120 children registered to play.