César Muñoz

César Muñoz Vicuña (1929–2000) was an Ecuadorian chess master. An amateur, he was an engineer by profession.^[1][2]

He played for Ecuador at first board in the fourth World Student Team Chess Championship at Reykjavík 1957 (+3 –6 =4), where he beat already reputed Fridrik Olafsson, and Bent Larsen.

At the 14th Chess Olympiad at Leipzig 1960 (+9 –3 =7), the unknown Ecuadorian caused a sensation in the preliminaries of the Leipzig Olympiad when he beat Bobby Fischer.^[3]

In 1962, he took second place, behind Olavo Yépez, in Pichincha (ECU-ch); and took seventh place at Quito 1969 (zonal; Eleazar Jiménez and Olavo Yépez Obando won).^[4]

For a number of years he was chair of the Ecuadorean Sports Association, and the Complejo Deportivo César Muñoz Vicuña was named after him.

Notable chess games

• Bent Larsen vs César Muñoz, Reykjavík 1957, 4th World Student Team Chess Championship, English, A15, 0-1
• Robert James Fischer vs César Muñoz, Leipzig 1960, 14th Olympiad, Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, B77, 0-1
• Ecuadorian Defeated a 'Hostile Alien Force' that had an IQ Greater than Albert Einstein!