The City Council is organizing the 3rd Juan Miguel Abril Rodríguez Memorial, in memory of Estepona’s Grandmaster of Chess

The Memorial will be held next Thursday, July 2, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, at the chess boards on the Paseo Marítimo

The Estepona City Council announces that this coming Thursday, July 2, a new edition of the Chess Tournament will be held in memory of Chess Grandmaster Miguel Abril, a longtime instructor and director of the Municipal Chess School for more than 40 years.

The 3rd Juan Miguel Abril Rodríguez Memorial will begin at 8:00 p.m. on the giant chessboards along the Paseo Marítimo. It will be a Swiss-system tournament consisting of five 10-minute rounds, limited to 200 players of all levels, primarily students from the Municipal Chess School and local clubs.

Registration is free and can be done via WhatsApp, by phone at 619063600, or by email at escueladeajedrez@estepona.es

Juan Miguel Abril Rodríguez dedicated more than 40 years of his life to his great passion: chess. He headed the Municipal Chess School since 1985, which has produced more than a dozen regional champions among school-age students, several national champions, and even a FIDE Master. Since then, several generations of students have passed through its classrooms. In addition to directing the School, this chess grandmaster also taught classes at local elementary and high schools, as well as at senior centers, where more than 10,000 students have learned to play chess since 2011, thanks to the Municipal Chess Promotion Plan.

In February 2023, Miguel Abril received the Torre Almenara de la Cultura Award from the 24 Horas Deportivas Foundation in recognition of his lifelong work promoting and teaching chess. His sudden death on October 5, 2023, at the age of 67—just one week after his official retirement as director and instructor of the Estepona Municipal Chess School (EMAE)—caused great sorrow in the city, where he was well known and deeply loved.

In memory of him and his dedication, the City Council unanimously approved naming a public space in the town after “Juan Miguel Abril Rodríguez.” The tribute ceremony took place on the Paseo Marítimo, where the giant chessboards are located.