Increase font size
Decrease font size
Increase Spacing
Decrease Spacing
Grayscale
Contrast
Dyslexia Font
Enlarge Cursor
Highlight Links
Reset
Relay Center

Encuentra lo que necesitas en segundos. Explora, descubre y obtén respuestas rápidas. ¡Comienza tu búsqueda ahora!

Calendario Académico

SIMCA

Programa LVMEN

PSI

GOU PAGOS

Home New and Updates

International Chess Federation awards the FIDE Master (Absolute) title to a Unica...

International Chess Federation awards the FIDE Master (Absolute) title to a Unicaucano student

Student Carlos Andrés Tobar Beltrán becomes the first FIDE Master (Absolute) in Popayán, a title awarded by the International Chess Federation to players with the highest performance.

The Civil Engineering student at the University of Cauca, Carlos Andrés Tobar Beltrán, received his FIDE Master (Absolute) title on Monday, January 13, 2025. This title is awarded by the International Chess Federation to players with the highest performance and is the third most important in the hierarchy, followed by International Master (IM) and Grandmaster (GM).

In this way, he becomes the first FIDE Master (Absolute) from the city of Popayán and the second from the department of Cauca. In 2021, he obtained his first norm (the most important one), the diploma with the provisional FIDE Master title, but to make it official, he had to complete the second norm. Cauca now has two Absolute FIDE Masters (Carlos Andrés Tobar Beltrán from Popayán and Edwin Navia from Santander de Quilichao) and one FIDE Woman Master (Lina Sofía Cardona Martínez from Popayán, belonging to the Caldas League).

Carlos Andrés Tobar Beltrán is part of the Kasparov Sports Club, the Yeika Chess Academy, and the Cauca Chess League. He earned the FIDE Master (FM) (Absolute) title after meeting the two previous requirements: a score of 6 out of 9 in the ITT Subzonal Tournament in 2021 and an ELO FIDE rating of 2100 in the ITT Open Pereira 2024 Tournament.

“This is an achievement that truly fills me with pride. I have been competing in this sport for 15 years, and this is a title that every high-level competitor aspires to reach one day. I am grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way, my family, my friends, and the University of Cauca for their support in recent years. This accomplishment motivates me to continue moving forward in this sport,” he stated.

In 2024, the chess player’s three most significant achievements were:

National Champion (Gold Medal) in the U-20 Blitz Chess category and Bronze Medal in Rapid Chess.

Champion (Gold Medal) in Classical Chess at the Western Regional University Games, representing the University of Cauca.

Participation in the ITT International Tournament Feria de Las Flores, where his outstanding performance allowed him to surpass the 2,100 rating mark (a milestone he had already reached two months earlier at the ITT Open in Pereira).

Likewise, among his achievements are:

Selection Cauca in youth categories, obtaining multiple medals at the national level.

He has participated in different international tournaments: Central American and Caribbean (Puerto Rico), Pan American (Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, and Colombia), and World Championship (Brazil).

Central American and Caribbean Champion in the U-8 category. Puerto Rico, 2012
Third place at the Pan American Championship in the U-7 category. Venezuela, 2011

Selection Cauca at the 2019 National Sports Games

Bronze Medal. “Night of the Best” – Colombian Association of Sports Journalists ACORD Cauca, 2018

Nominated for Breakthrough Athlete. “Night of the Best” – Colombian Association of Sports Journalists ACORD Cauca.

We highlight that Colombian chess players in 2024 achieved 113 international medals; among these outstanding chess players, three are from Cauca: Andrés Osiris López Martínez, Electronic and Telecommunications Engineer from the University of Cauca, contributed two Gold Medals in the Pan American U-1700, and in 2024 was the National Champion (Gold Medal) U-1700; Jorge Esteban Tobar Beltrán, Civil Engineering student, contributed a Bronze Medal in the Pan American Blitz U-2000 and was National Champion (Gold Medal) U-2000. Champion (Gold Medal) in Rapid Chess at the Western Regional University Games and Runner-up (Silver Medal) in Blitz Chess at the National University Games Final. And the third was Juan Jacobo Bolaños López, who contributed a Gold Medal in the South American School Championship U-17.