Leontxo García facts for kids

Leontxo García Olasagasti, born on February 12, 1956, in Irún, Guipúzcoa, is a well-known Spanish expert in chess. He is a speaker, TV presenter, commentator, and journalist. He has dedicated his life to sharing his love for chess with many people, especially children.

Leontxo García's Journey in Chess

Leontxo García started playing chess a bit later than some. He learned the game at school when he was 13 years old. He began playing more seriously when he was 17.

In 1975, at age 19, he became the champion of Guipúzcoa. Six years later, in 1981, he earned the FIDE Master title. He even achieved two "International Master norms," which are steps towards becoming an International Master.

From Player to Journalist

In 1983, a newspaper called Deia asked Leontxo to report on important chess matches. These matches included famous players like Garry Kasparov and Viktor Korchnoi. It was then that Leontxo realized he loved journalism even more than playing chess. Soon after, he stopped competing in chess tournaments.

Leontxo worked for several news organizations. These included Agence France-Presse and the Spanish news agency EFE. He also worked for the newspaper El País and Radio Nacional de España. In 1985, he spent two and a half months in Moscow reporting on a big match between Kasparov and Karpov. He still writes a daily column for El País.

Spreading Chess Through Media

In 1987, during the World Chess Championship 1987 in Seville, Leontxo presented 50 special TV shows. These shows were broadcast daily on Televisión Española (TVE).

He also managed Jaque magazine for ten years, from 1991 to 2001. Leontxo has given many talks about chess in different countries. He created and presented a TV series called En Jaque (In Check) on TVE. He also worked with Garry Kasparov to produce a series called La pasión del ajedrez (The passion for chess). This series included magazines and videos.

Teaching Chess to Young People

Leontxo has experience teaching chess to children. He worked as a chess instructor for the Basque Government in 1985. He has also taught chess courses to school teachers. This helps teachers bring chess into their classrooms.

He often comments on major chess tournaments. These include the Linares International Chess Tournament and the Grand Slam Masters Final. He also covers the World Chess Championship.

Beyond Chess: Other Interests

Leontxo's work as a journalist goes beyond chess. He writes about other sports too. He was a special reporter for El País at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In 2004, he produced a radio series about the 28 Olympic sports. His second favorite sport is handball. He has covered many World and Europe Championships for various media outlets.

Since 2007, Leontxo has a regular section on the popular radio show No es un día cualquiera. This show is on RNE Radio Nacional every Sunday.

Promoting Chess for All Ages

Leontxo is a strong supporter of teaching chess to everyone. He believes it's important for both children and adults. He says that playing chess regularly can help keep the brain healthy as people get older. He even suggests it might help prevent memory problems like Alzheimer's.

Leontxo believes Spain needs a chess champion like Rafael Nadal in tennis. He notes that Spain has many international tournaments and teaches chess in over a thousand schools. However, it still needs a top champion. He mentioned Francisco Vallejo Pons and Iván Salgado López as promising players.

Leontxo considers Garry Kasparov to be the best chess player of all time. He says Kasparov was "the most complete" player because of his talent, hard work, and energy. When Kasparov played, his opponents felt like they were facing a powerful force.

Awards and Recognition

Leontxo García has received several awards for his work:

• Medal of Sporting Merit from the Consejo Superior de Deportes in 2011.
• The I National Chess Prize in 2008 for promoting chess in 2007.
• Listed in the FIDE Golden Book in 1999 for his great help in developing chess.
• Awarded by the University of Oviedo for his TV series En Jaque (1990–91). This award recognized his excellent work in spreading culture.
• Received an award for the best coverage of the World Chess Championship 1986 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). This was given by the Sports Committee of the USSR.
• Absolute champion of Guipúzcoa in 1975.

Books by Leontxo García

Leontxo García has written or co-written several books:

• Magistral Ciudad de León, 20 años de ajedrez (Magistral Ciudad de León, 20 years of chess). He wrote this with Paraguayan Grand Master Zenón Franco Ocampos in 2008.
• Radomir Antić: Jaque a la liga (Radomir Antić: Check to the league). This book from 1996 is about the football coach Radomir Antić. It shares his training methods and his exciting life.

Famous Quotes

Leontxo García is known for some interesting quotes:

• "Chess is a gold mine, as yet hardly explored by the press."
• "In chess, beauty is the daughter of error."
• His phrase "Outstanding move" has become a popular internet meme. It comes from a video where he shows a winning chess move.

Famous Quotes

Here are some well-known quotes from Leontxo García:

• "Chess is a gold mine, as yet hardly explored by the press."
• "In chess, beauty is the daughter of error."
• His phrase "Outstanding move" became a popular internet meme. This meme shows a picture of him from a video where he is explaining a winning chess move.

See also

In Spanish: Leontxo García para niños

• Chess