The tournament started with two preliminary groups with four players qualifying for the finals. The eight finalist then played a double round robin for the title.
It was a difficult struggle, but many time champion Major Jose J. Araiza (1900-1971) of the Mexican Army emerged as the winner and thereby confirmed his status as the Number 1 player in Mexico.
Araiza began playing chess at the age of 14 and won the Mexico City Championship for the first time in1920. In 1928, he tied for twelfth place in The Hague in the Amateur World Championship which was won by Max Euwe. In the 1930s he competed in several international tournaments outside of Mexico and had draws against such well-known players as Spielmann, Vidmar, Maroczy, Colle and Kmoch.
The runner-up was Joaquin Camarena (born 1920-died ?) who had one of the best records in local tournaments of all Mexican players although he competed in very few events outside of Mexico.
Third prize-winner Abel Perez is an unknown. An article on the tournament described him as a serious student of the game who owned a library of some fifty chess books and had a knowledge of several languages.
In their individual game Camarena escaped by the skin of his teeth when he managed to ward off a dangerous, if unsound, attack and launch his own winning counterattack.
Abel Perez–Joaquin Camarena0–1Mexican Championship, Mexico City1945Stockfish 15
French Defense Tarrasch Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.d2 The Tarrasch
became particularly popular during the 1970s and early 1980s when Karpov began
using it. While less aggressive than 3.Nc3, it does not block the c-Pawn which
means white can play c3 at some point to support the P on d4. It also avoids
the Winawer (3...Bb4). The disadvantage is that the N is less active and it
blocks the B. This means that white will usually have to spend an extra tempo
to get the B developed. f6 Although rarely seen, both this and 3...dxe4 are
good alternatives to the far more common 3...c5. In recent years the Morozevich
Variation (3...Be7) has become fashionable. 4.e5 fd7 5.d3 c5 6.c3 c6 7.e2 cxd4 8.cxd4 b6 9.f3 b4+ This works out to white's advantage. Best is
9.Bb4+ 10.f1 While this is quite satisfactory, baiting black with 10.Bd2
is also good. 10.d2 xb2 11.0-0 b6 12.b1 d8 13.c2 h6 14.f4 e7 15.h5 and white has sufficient play for the P. Zelbel,P (2418)-Vallejo Pons,F
(2716) Eppingen GER 2015 10...e7 Here black is best advised to begin
immediate play against white's center with 10...f6 10...f6 After this
things get really tactical! 11.f4 dxe5 12.dxe5 fxe5 13.a3 13.h5 e4
favors black. 13...d6 14.g6 hxg6 15.xg6+ d7 15...d8 16.g5
wins for white 16.g5 d8 White can claim no more than a very slight
advantage. 11.a3 11.h4 Resulted in a quick debacle for black in this
game... 0-0 12.f4 h8 12...xd4 13.xd4 xe5 14.c2 White is better,
but this was black's best hope. 13.g5 g8 14.h5 xg5 15.hxg5 f6 16.g6
Black resigned. Kochetkova,J (2342)-Ivanov,V (1871) Salekhard 2006 11...b6 12.b4 0-0 13.h4 f6 This position is quite complicated and
tactical opportunities for white abound. 14.f4 With this seemingly logical
move attacking the e-Pawn white is also intending an unsound tactical trick,
but correct is 14.Be3 which maintains the advantage. 14.e3 This move is a
prerequisite to the idea of Nf4 and Bxh7+ fxe5 15.dxe5 d4 15...c7 16.f4 dxe5 17.xh7+ xh7 18.g5+ xg5 19.hxg5+ g8 20.h5 and white has a
winning attack. 16.exd4 16.fxd4 cxe5 17.f4 xd3 18.xd3 e5 19.e2 d6 and black has managed to emerge from the complications unscathed. 16...cxe5 17.g5 with an overwhelming attack. 14.e3 h6 This move is an
attempt to quash white's tactical shenanigans on the K-side, but it still
leaves him with a huge advantage. 15.b5 a5 16.f4 Black has two main
tries: 16...Nc4 and 16...fxe6, but neither is satisfactory. fxe5 17.g6 e4 18.xe7+ f7 19.e5+ xe7 20.g6+ e8 21.xf8 xf8 22.e2 White's
material advantage (R vs N+P) should be sufficient. 14...fxe5 15.xh7+
Dangerous, but unsound. 15.dxe5 White's omission of Be3 results in the
loss of an important center P. dxe5 16.xe5 xe5 15...xh7 16.g5+ g8 17.fxe6 f6 18.xf8 Even stronger than 18...Bxf8 g4 19.f3 xf8 19...xf3 20.gxf3 xf8 21.dxe5 xe5 22.g2 White is up the exchange. 20.dxe5 xe5 21.b2 The complications are still enormous! Black had to play 21...Bd7
after which he would have had a winning position. After the text the position
is equal. ed7 21...d7-+ 22.d4 22.xe5 This is tempting, but it
loses to b5+ 23.e2 Black could win the Q, but there is a mate in 10! Stockfish 15: 23.e1 e3+ mate next move 23...g4 24.g3 d6 25.e6 xe2+ 26.xe2 e3+ 27.d1 d3+ 28.c1 c8+ 29.c5 xc5 30.c7 xc7 31.bxc5 xc5+ 32.b2 c2# 22...a6+ 23.g1 d3 24.d2 c4 25.c3 c8 26.xc4 dxc4 materially white is not too badly off, he has a R+P vd B+N, but his
position is lost. In Shootouts black won 5 out of 5 games, but they were long
and scoring the point would require patience and precise play. 22.d4 a6+ 23.e2 xe2+ After this black's advantage has evaporated. 23...h5
would have kept a slight edge. 24.xa6 g3+ 25.e1 bxa6 26.g1 h5
with just a minimal advantage. 24.xe2 f5 25.ac1 Taking the open file,
but t the same time allowing black an opportunity to gain the initiative. 25.g4 remains equal. c2 26.e6 c8 27.hc1 c4 28.d2 etc. 25...d6 26.g4 e8+ 27.f2 d3 Threatening ...Re2+ 28.he1 f8 This lets white off
the hook. 28...e5 Keeps up the pressure. 29.g2 29.xa7 c4 30.g2 a8 31.c5 xc5 32.bxc5 d3 wins 29...a6 30.cd1 b5 31.h5 With a
materially unbalanced position: white has a R+P vs B+N. Engines favor black,
but in reality the game could go either way. 29.g2 Also worth considering
was 29.Ne6 a5 30.e6 f4 Black is more active. 31.e3 e5 32.bxa5 d4 33.d2 33.xe5 is, perhaps, more complicated than necessary. xe5 34.xd4 c6 35.xf6 xf6 36.c5 with an unclear position. 33...d5
In a game that has ups and downs for both sides, white now makes a fatal slip.
His best chance was to temporarily sacrifice the exchange. 34.e4 34.xe5 xe5 35.e6 xf3 36.c8+ f7 37.g5+ e7 38.xf3 e4 39.g3 xf3 with an absolutely crazy position where white has a R+P vs two Ns.
In Shootouts white scored +0 - 3 =2, but the games were long, tedious and
involved the use od endgame tablebases. OTB the outcome could be anything! 34...f4 35.f2 xe4 36.xf4 xf4 It's possible white could play on, but
it would be a losing proposition so he resigned. 36...xf4 37.xe4 d3+ 38.g2 xc1 39.xd4 Black is winning. 0–1
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