Leinier Domínguez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leinier Domínguez |
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Domínguez in 2012
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| Full name | Leinier Domínguez Pérez |
| Country | Cuba (until 2018) United States (since 2018) |
| Born | September 23, 1983 Havana, Cuba |
| Title | Grandmaster (2001) |
| FIDE rating | 2758 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2768 (May 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 13 (July 2021) |
| Peak ranking | No. 8 (January 2024) |
Leinier Domínguez Pérez, born on September 23, 1983, is a super talented chess player. He is a Grandmaster from both Cuba and the United States. He has won the Cuban chess championship five times! In 2008, he even became the world champion in blitz chess, which is a super-fast version of the game. Leinier has played in many big tournaments like the FIDE World Chess Championship and the FIDE World Cup multiple times.
Contents
Leinier Domínguez's Chess Journey
Early Successes
Leinier Domínguez started his winning streak early. In 2001, he won the Carlos Torre Repetto Memorial tournament in Mexico. The next year, he became the Cuban Chess Champion. He won this title again in 2003, 2006, 2012, and 2016. Also in 2002, he tied for first place at the North Sea Cup in Denmark.
Big Tournaments and World Stage
In 2004, Leinier did very well in the FIDE World Chess Championship. He reached the quarterfinals, meaning he was among the last eight players. He lost a close match in the tie-breaker games. That same year, he won the Capablanca Memorial tournament for the first time. He went on to win this tournament two more times, in 2008 and 2009.
In 2006, Leinier won the Magistral Ciutat de Barcelona tournament in Spain. He scored an amazing 8 out of 9 points. He even finished ahead of another top player, Vasyl Ivanchuk. He played incredibly well, showing a very high skill level.
Becoming a World Champion
The year 2008 was a huge one for Leinier. He won the "CPA" chess tournament and the 43rd Capablanca Memorial. He also tied for first place with Evgeny Alekseev at the Biel Chess Festival. He even finished ahead of famous player Magnus Carlsen! Leinier ended up in second place after a tie-breaker game.
On November 8, 2008, Leinier won the World Blitz Championship in Kazakhstan. He scored 11.5 points out of 15. He beat many other top players like Vassily Ivanchuk and Alexander Grischuk to become the world champion in blitz chess.
Recent Achievements
In June 2013, Leinier won the FIDE Grand Prix event in Greece. He was the clear winner among twelve elite players. These players included Fabiano Caruana, Veselin Topalov, and Alexander Grischuk.
In 2016, Leinier tied for second place at the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting. He shared this spot with strong players like Vladimir Kramnik and Fabiano Caruana. Later that year, he won an individual silver medal at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan. He played on the top board for the Cuban team.
In 2018, Leinier helped Fabiano Caruana prepare for the World Chess Championship. This shows how respected he is in the chess world.
Representing the United States
In December 2018, Leinier Domínguez Pérez began representing the United States in chess. He changed his federation to play for the U.S. team.
In early 2022, Leinier played in the FIDE Grand Prix. He won his group in the first part of the event. He even beat Wesley So in quick tie-breaker games.
In April 2022, he played in the American Cup. He earned second place in the 2019 U.S. Chess Championship. He also took third place in the 2022 U.S. Chess Championship.
In 2023, Leinier won second place in the Sinquefield Cup. He stepped in to play when another top player, Ding Liren, had to withdraw.
Notable Games
- Magnus Carlsen vs Leinier Dominguez-Perez, Biel 2008, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Adams Attack (B90), ½–½
- Alexander Onischuk vs Leinier Dominguez-Perez, Biel, 2008, Gruenfeld Defense: Russian, Hungarian Variation (D97), 0-1
- Evgeny Alekseev vs Leinier Dominguez-Perez, Biel 2008, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf, Zagreb Variation (B91), 0-1
- Leinier Dominguez-Perez vs Alexander Morozevich, Corus 2009, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack (B90), 1-0
See also
In Spanish: Leinier Domínguez para niños
