Santo Domingo. – The executive director of the National Institute of Physical Education (INEFI), Alberto Rodríguez Mella, congratulated the young Dominican chess player Ángel Lara Santos, winner of two gold medals at the Pan American School Chess Championship held in Brazil, with the participation of athletes from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and the United States.
Rodríguez Mella highlighted that Lara Santos, a student at Colegio San Pío X, managed to prevail in the Blitz and Rapid (U13) modalities of the contest, establishing herself as one of the main promises of regional chess.
The official highlighted that the young talent is the result of the X National School Sports Games Barahona 2023, organized by INEFI, where he began his international competitive path. Since then, the institution has accompanied his development and participation in various events.
In a social media post, Rodríguez Mella expressed: "Ángel Lara, a product of the chess from @inefirdoficial, champion of the past School Games and now double winner of the Pan American School Chess Championship, lifts us up today with this good news. Great Ángel, at just 12 years old, a source of pride for his San Pío X School, his parents, and the entire Dominican Republic."
Lara Santos was crowned champion of the Blitz modality, accumulating 7.5 points out of 9 possible. In the Rapid modality, she obtained a perfect victory with seven out of seven, including an outstanding victory against the Paraguayan candidate for master Enzo Mathias Vinales González.
Alongside him, the country is also represented in Brazil by Central American and Caribbean champion Alejandro Muñoz (U11), and the brothers Bruno and Lucas Almonte (U9 and U17), under the direction of international master José Lisandro Muñoz, captain of the delegation.
The Dominican Republic already has three medals in the tournament: two gold medals with Ángel Lara and a bronze medal obtained by Bruno Almonte in the U9 Rapid category.
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The Pan American School Chess Championship is played in Blitz, Rapid and Standard modalities, under the Swiss system and the regulations of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).






