José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a child prodigy and a lifetime Cuban chess player (from age 4!) who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927.
Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play (e.g. simultaneous exhibitions). He was exceptionally difficult to beat, losing only 35 first class games in his entire career. |
| Alfredo de Oro (Billiards), Ramón Fonst (Fencing), José Capablanca (Chess) Three Cuban World Champions |
Oh, and don't forget the countless ongoing boxing and baseball champions, even under the decadence of the past more than half-century of oppression.
This list of world champions, especially from the first half of the twentieth century, is very remarkable for such a small country, for the past century just a couple of million more people than the population of New York City.
