Valentí Marín facts for kids
Valentí Marín i Llovet (born January 17, 1872, in Barcelona; died December 7, 1936, in Barcelona) was a very important person from Catalonia, a region in Spain. He worked as a notary, which is a legal professional who makes sure documents are official and correct. But Valentí Marín was also famous for his love of chess. He was a talented chess player and wrote books about the game.
A Chess Champion for Spain
Valentí Marín was a fantastic chess player. He was so good that he played for the Spanish national team many times. He represented his country in several big international chess tournaments called Chess Olympiads. These are like the Olympic Games, but just for chess!
He played in these major events:
- The first unofficial Chess Olympiad in Paris.
- The first official Chess Olympiad in London.
- The second Chess Olympiad in The Hague.
- The third Chess Olympiad in Hamburg.
- The fourth Chess Olympiad in Prague.
Playing in so many Olympiads shows how skilled and dedicated he was to chess. He helped put Spain on the map in the world of chess.
Leading Spanish Chess
Besides playing, Valentí Marín also helped organize chess in Spain. He became the president of the Federación Española de Ajedrez. This is the main organization for chess in Spain, also known as the Spanish Chess Federation (FEDA). As president, he helped promote chess and support players across the country. He worked to make chess popular and help new players learn the game.
His Chess Book
Valentí Marín also shared his knowledge of chess by writing a book. It was called Un artista en ajedrez (Valentín Marín). He published this book in 1913. What's cool about his book is that it was written in two languages: Spanish and Esperanto. Esperanto is a language created to be easy for people from different countries to learn and use. This shows he wanted his chess ideas to reach a wide audience.
