Rolando Illa was a Cuban–Argentine chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 master.

Born in New York into a Cuban family, he moved to Argentina and was naturalized in 1904. He was a co-founder of the Club Argentino de Ajedrez in Buenos Aires. In 1910, he won Club Argentino Championship

Buenos Aires Club Argentino Chess Championship

- Winners :-References:**...

, and again in the period 1912–1919 (posteriormente) or 1913–1921. He won a match against Julio Lynch (3.5 : 1.5), and lost a match to Boris Kostić (0 : 6), both in Buenos Aires in 1913.

He shared 1st with C.M. Portela at Buenos Aires 1917, took 2nd, behind L. Carranza, at Buenos Aires 1920, tied for 2nd-4th at Montevideo (Carrasco) 1921/22 (South American Championship

South American Chess Championship

The first South American Chess Championship was held in Montevideo , Uruguay, on December 25, 1921 – January 22, 1922...

, Roberto Grau

Roberto Grau

Roberto Gabriel Grau was an Argentine chess master.Grau played in many Argentine championships. In 1921/22, he tied for 3rd-4th . In 1922, he tied for 2nd-3rd . In 1923/24, he tied for 2nd-4th...

 won), and took 5th at Buenos Aires 1922 (Pentagonal, Benito Villegas

Benito Villegas

Benito Higinio Villegas was an Argentine chess master.He was the first Champion of Club Argentino de Ajedrez in Buenos Aires in 1906-1907. After World War I, he won Argentine Chess Championship in 1922, and was Sub-Champion in 1921 and 1923.Villegas participated in several South American Chess...

 won). He thrice participated in the Argentine Championship

Argentine Chess Championship

The first Argentine Chess Championship was held in 1921. The Champion's title was granted after victorious or drawn match between previous champion and challenger, a winner of Torneo Mayor...

: took 5th in 1921/22 (Damian Reca

Damian Reca

Damián M. Reca was an Argentine chess master.He was Argentine Champion in 1921, 1923, 1924, and 1925.In 1921, he won at Buenos Aires and won a match for the title against Benito Villegas in 1921/22. He took 7th at Montevideo 1921/22...

 won), tied for 6-7th in 1923/24 and tied for 7-9th in 1924. Illa shared 2nd with Villegas, behind Alexander Alekhine

Alexander Alekhine

Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...

, at Buenos Aires 1926.

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