Patagonia Penguins Eager To Represent Chess In Their Region
The Patagonia Penguins are based off a region of Argentina known as Patagonia. This region is composed of five provinces (the U.S. equivalent to states). These are Chubut, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego. Although as a whole this region encompasses a huge amount of territory, it is quite underpopulated, which is why this franchise has been allowed to represent a region (as opposed to a single city). Just so you have a rough idea of our demographics, the region has a population of approximately 2.5 million people, spread out across a territory of approximately 800 thousand square kilometers. That’s roughly 2/3 the population of Connecticut spread out across an area twice the size of California!
Taking this into account, our goal in the PRO Chess League is to provide a stage for all those players in our region that would otherwise be hard-pressed to find such a competitive tournament given the limitations that our geographical location imposes. Therefore, each one of our lineups will aim to include players from as many different provinces as possible. Below you’ll find our official roster for the first round, although there are many others that will be taken into consideration for future rounds.
A color-coded map of Argentina and its provinces.
GM Fernando Peralta: Fernando will be one of the few “free” players on our roster since he currently lives in Barcelona (Spain). With a FIDE rating of 2574, Fernando currently stands as Argentina’s #3 and has been a member of the national squad in six Olympiads (Bled 2002, Turin 2006, Dresden 2008, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010, Istanbul 2012 and Baku 2016). Moreover, he won the national championship in 2006 and placed second in in 2001 and 2007. Fernando is also currently at the head of the first FIDE Academy in Latin America
GM Robert Hungaski: Although he was born in Connecticut (USA), Robert currently resides in the city of Rio Gallegos (province of Santa Cruz). With a FIDE rating of 2488, some of Robert’s career highlight include a gold medal at the 2007 Pan-Am Junior Championship, first place as second board for the New England Nor’Easters in the 2010 USCL, as well as many international caps for team USA in Pan-Am and World Junior championships.
The quizzical Hungaski.
FM Sergio Macagno: Sergio resides in the city of Rio Gallegos (province of Santa Cruz) and at 2320 is the third highest-rated player in the Penguins.
FM Matias Leskovar: Matias is part of a father-son tandem from the city of Cipolletti (province of Rio Negro). With a FIDE rating of 2306, Matias stands at #4.
IM Mario Leskovar: As mentioned above, Mario is the father of Matias and also resides in Cipolletti. He achieved the IM title in 1993 and has reached a peak rating of 2405.
Andres Aguilar: Andres is a native of the city of Comodoro Rivadavia (province of Chubut) and has not allowed distances to interfere with his love of chess, as he is one of the most active players in the region. At 2284, he is #7 on the squad and a force to be reckoned with.
Jorge Iglesias: Although Jorge appears as one of our “free” players, he is a chess legend in the province of Santa Cruz, particularly in his native city of Rio Gallegos. Many years ago, he moved to Spain and is currently residing in the city of Barcelona. As the hometown hero, many are excited to see him play once again and representing his native colors nonetheless.
FM Daniel Pacheco: Aside from his skills as a chess player, being a FM with a 2271 FIDE rating, Daniel is an important promoter of chess within the region. He is the organizer and soul of the Patagonia Open that has been held in the province of Neuquen the past two years which has counted with the presence of world-class players such as Julio Granda and Sergei Tiviakov.
FM Adrian Randazzo: Adrian is the globe-trotter on the team, and having spent many years in Barcelona, he became a close friend of Fernando Peralta. He has proven to be the Barcelona connection and the key in recruiting Fernando for the Penguins. Adrian currently resides in the city of Piedrabuena (province of Santa Cruz) where he also is very active promoting chess. Adrian is at the head of the only FIDE Academy in Argentina where he focuses his efforts training school teachers so that they are able to incorporate chess to the school curricula.
Juan Cruz Arias: Juan Cruz is the youngest player on the team, and with a FIDE rating of 2202, is one of the most promising talents on the national stage. Moreover, he is from Ushuaia (a province of Tierra del Fuego), the southern-most city in Argentina and a very popular tourist destination.
The PRO Chess League welcomes the Patagonia Penguins!
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