Yasser Quesada Perez

Overview

Yasser Quesada Pérez (born May 23, 1992) is a Cuban chess Grandmaster and the 2022 Cuban National Champion. Representing the Cuban federation (CUB), Quesada Pérez achieved his career-high classical FIDE rating of 2609 in June 2023. A prominent national team player, trainer-player, and collegiate competitor, he has represented Cuba at multiple Chess Olympiads and competes for the Webster University SPICE chess team in the United States. Quesada Pérez currently holds a classical rating of 2558, a rapid rating of 2498, and a blitz rating of 2507.

Biography & Major Career Milestones

Born in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba, Yasser Quesada Pérez developed his chess career alongside his older brother, Grandmaster and former Cuban Champion Yuniesky Quesada Pérez. Yasser earned his FIDE Master (FM) title in 2009, followed by the International Master (IM) title in 2014. In 2017, he became the 27th chess player from Cuba to earn the Grandmaster (GM) title.

Quesada Pérez's domestic chess career peaked in March 2022 when he won the 58th Cuban Chess Championship. Prior to this victory, he finished as the runner-up in the 2020 edition and fourth on tiebreaks in 2018. On the international stage, Quesada Pérez won Group B of the St. Louis Fall Classic in September 2019 with a score of 6.5/9. He qualified for the 2021 FIDE World Cup in Sochi, Russia, where he defeated Argentine GM Leandro Krysa (1.5–0.5) in the first round before being eliminated by Indian GM Pentala Harikrishna (1.5–0.5) in the second round.

In May 2022, Quesada Pérez earned the bronze medal at the XV Continental Chess Championship of the Americas in San Salvador, scoring 8/11 and qualifying for his second consecutive FIDE World Cup. In late 2024, he won the 1000GM Labor Day Super Swiss. Concurrently, Quesada Pérez has built a successful collegiate career at Webster University, helping the Webster "A" team qualify for the national President's Cup during consecutive Pan-American Intercollegiate Championships in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Elite Team & Event Performance

• 43rd Chess Olympiad (2018, Batumi): Represented Cuba on the reserve board, contributing to the team's final ranking.
• FIDE Online Chess Olympiad (2020 & 2021): Represented Cuba on the upper boards during both online editions.
• 44th Chess Olympiad (2022, Chennai): Made his debut on Board 1 for Cuba, notably defeating Ukrainian GM Anton Korobov.
• Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship (2024–2026): Competed on the top boards for Webster University, scoring 5/6 individually in the 2024 edition to help the university qualify for the President's Cup.

Playing Style, Material Tendencies & Endgame Profiling

Quesada Pérez is primarily a classical, positional player who favors structural soundness and endgames. Under the guidance of his brother Yuniesky, he expanded his opening base to build robust middlegame structures. He maintains a highly pragmatic style, preferring to slowly convert space advantages and exploit minor pawn weaknesses. His defensive resourcefulness is evident in worse positions, often maneuvering minor pieces to establish fortresses or blockades. He possesses highly technical endgame skills, particularly in rook and opposite-colored bishop endgames.

Opening Repertoire & Theoretical Move Orders

1. As White

As White, Quesada Pérez historically plays 1.e4. Against the Sicilian Defense, he splits his games between positional closed structures and forcing Alapin lines.

• Closed Sicilian:
• Delayed Alapin:
• Rossolimo Attack:
• Four Knights Game:

2. As Black

As Black, Quesada Pérez relies on active classical defenses. Against 1.e4, he utilizes the Sicilian Taimanov and the Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez. Against 1.d4, he is a dedicated practitioner and author on the Czech Benoni Defense.

• Sicilian Taimanov:
• Ruy Lopez Arkhangelsk:
• Czech Benoni:

Links

• FIDE: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/3509362
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Quesada