Cuban GM Dominguez Pleased With Mind Games Debut

Beijing, 17 Dec. -Cuban chess Grand Master Leinier Dominguez believes that beyond any statistic, the results of his debut at the SportAccord World Mind Games must be measured by how much experience he gained and how much he learnt.Satisfied with his performance in the competition that ended yesterday in this capital, the young chess player told Prensa Latina that since this is a tournament which is not valid for ELO, "the competition allows for experimentation and that opportunity is always used".

The only representative of Latin America and the Caribbean in the event clarified that this should not be regarded as just another competition, since a common credential of the 16 players participating is that everyone has an ELO of over 2,700.

"And in that context I achieved my main goal, to gain experience and learn," he said.

His results were: open rapid, fourth place with four points in seven games, behind Wang Hao (China), Vugar Hashimov (Azerbaijan) and Gata Kamsky (USA).

In the Blitz, the three minute round robin, he accumulated five points from a possible 15. The winners in that mode were Vachier Lagrave (France), Alexander Grischuk (Russia) and Shahriyar Mammadyarov (Azerbaijan).

In the Men´s Blindfold, the closing event, Dominguez scored three of seven points and the title went to Almasi Zoltan (Hungary), trailed by Vachier and Hashimov..

The Cuban GM affirmed that all competitions are helpful, and in his case this will be useful for the upcoming tournament in San Sebastian, Spain, an event which celebrates its centenary, where he will be better prepared, he stated.

Dominguez arrived in Beijing after achieving a successful performance in Spain´s, Naturgas Sestao, the National Club Championship, where he accumulated five points in six games as first board.

After the meeting in China's capital, he confirmed that 2011 has been a good year, especially in the second half, when he played with greater concentration. (Prensa Latina)