Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Champion chess player sells popsicles to fund trip to international tournament

A two time state champion chess player in Querétaro city is selling popsicles to cover his expenses for an international chess tournament.

Julio Adrián Ramírez, 28, is trying to make money to reach the capital of El Salvador for the Continental Absolute Chess Championship of the Americas from May 1-11.

Ramírez believes that with a minimum of 20,000 pesos (US $970) he can cover transport, accommodation and food costs. As street popsicles generally go for about 10 pesos each (US $0.48), he will have to sell 2,000 to pay the entire travel bill.

The 15-year chess player stands on a street corner in the city center each day from 1-7:30 p.m. with lemon, cookie, mango and other flavors of popsicle. He also invites customers to play a game of chess and offers private classes to earn extra cash.

If he achieves his goal of attending the contest, he has the chance to be one of four players to qualify for the world championships, but Ramírez said his first aim is to be recognized as an international master by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

A medal winner at the National Olympiad, Ramírez explained what made him so passionate about the game. “Chess is a beautiful contest. It makes you go up against yourself, because it’s about doing the best you can. Then you have an opponent who is giving everything in the world. It’s a battle of minds. There is a lot of stress. In the games you feel a lot of adrenaline, you enjoy it and you suffer at the same time,” he said.

However, the game didn’t initially excite Ramírez, and it was only by doing a friend a favor that he fell in love with it. “My brother taught me how to use the pieces when I was a kid. The truth is that I didn’t like chess very much. Once I entered high school I started to be more interested. They opened a chess workshop … I was in the guitar workshop, but I asked to change because a friend wanted to be in the guitar workshop. We switched and from there I started playing chess.”

With reports from El Universal

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Guiengola, Oaxaca

Biologists work to turn Oaxaca’s Guiengola archaeological zone into nature reserve

0
Led by 23-year-old biologist Eduardo Michi, a group of scientists has deployed camera traps across more than 300 hectares to document local fauna like coatis, rabbits, squirrels and ocelots.
Fonatur glorieta in Los Cabos

MND Local: Major infrastructure projects reflect growing pains in Los Cabos

0
New airport facilities and new highways are on the way in Los Cabos, as our local news roundup takes a look at what's happening in Baja California Sur.
mural honoring Alicia Matías

A mural at explosion site in CDMX honors Alicia Matías, who died saving her granddaughter

1
The 49-year-old heroine's death has been met with an outpouring of admiration while the nation mourns the 15 victims of last week's gas tanker explosion.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity