born Nov. 19, 1888, Havana, Cuba
died March 8, 1942, New York, N.Y., U.S.
Cuban chess master.
He learned chess from his father at age 4 and beat Cuba's best player at 12. He defeated Emanuel Lasker to become world champion in 1921; in 1927 he was defeated by Alexander Alekhine (18921946). From 1916 to 1924, while playing in many tournaments, he did not lose a game. In 1921 he published an instruction manual, Chess Fundamentals .