The lack of funding hampers the proper development of chess in Cuba, Carlos Rivero, national commissioner of the sport, told local ACN news agency during the National Championship of Chess recently celebrated in the city of Matanzas.

Rivero said there is currently no budget to insert players in the so-called learning categories in international events, thus the possibility of better training for Cuban emerging young talent is lost.

The executive said lack of funds in standing in the way of Cuban players participating in the next Women's Pan-American Championship.

It is a problem that is becoming increasingly acute and that forces us to look for alternatives when trying to develop highly competitive figures.

Rivero noted that the strategy of the Cuban Chess Federation is one of promoting the holding in Cuba of international events where both high-ranking foreign players and local athletes compete.

He cautioned, though, that under these circumstances, it will be difficult for players of the caliber of champions Leinier Domínguez and Lázaro Bruzón to continue to emerge, as during their initial years these took advantage of a kind of state support that today, unfortunately, does not exist.