Chess Tournament in Cancún Celebrates New Year with Rosca de Reyes

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Chess Club Cancún brought magic to the chessboards and welcomed 2026 with the “Rosca de Reyes” tournament, held at the Food Hall of Grand Outlet Riviera Maya, where player Julio González was crowned champion of the Open category and awarded a spectacular—and tasty—rosca as an early treat for Three Kings’ Day.

The competition became an authentic chess celebration, bringing together 46 players from Chetumal, Playa del Carmen, Leona Vicario, and Cancún, who responded to the call from Carolina Garrido and her team with the goal of starting the year by strengthening community and sportsmanship.

This tournament unites the aforementioned municipalities and Leona Vicario, a delegation of Puerto Morelos, and is the first competition of the sport of chess, marking the beginning of chess tournaments in the state.

It is worth noting that in the Open category, played over six rounds, Julio González accumulated five points to take first place. Second place went to Playa del Carmen’s Gerson Moreno with 4.5 points, while Leonardo Ariel San Martín López completed the podium. The distinction for best female player went to Valeria García Gómez. The winners received rosca, medals, and a free skating pass to Happi Arena.

In the children’s and youth categories, in Under-16, the champion was Diego García Noriega with five points in five games; Alexander Santos Córdova was second and Kevin Cauich third. The best female player in the division was Carolina Marín Garrido, who also won a rosca de reyes.

In Under-14, Carlos Santoyo Román dominated with six points, followed by Brisa Esquivel Esquivel and María José Jiménez Flores; the best female player was Valentina Trechuelo Salazar. In Under-12, first place went to Luis Santoyo Román, followed by Yumil Rueda Díaz and Mateo Cool Ávila, while Yareli Guerrero Hernández was recognized as the best female player.

Finally, the awards ceremony and closing were a true treat: medals, smiles, and complimentary skating passes sealed a perfect day, in which Chess Club Cancún demonstrated that the sport of chess also knows how to celebrate, uniting tradition, talent, and community to start the year with its best moves.