GM Julio Becerra

Julio Becerra Rivero (born October 15, 1973) is a Cuban-born American chess Grandmaster who lives in South Miami, Florida. Julio Becerra was born and grew up in Havana, Cuba. He learned to play chess when he was thirteen years old. Julio Becerra went to the chess academy in Havana frequently to play games with others and to improve. He became a grandmaster at the age of 23 in 1997. Julio Becerra won the Cuban Chess Championship in 1996 and 1998 and played in the Chess Olympiads of 1994, 1996 and 1998. He stayed in the U.S. in 1999, after playing in the FIDE World Chess Championship 1999 in Las Vegas. He lived in Las Vegas, North Carolina and New York until he moved to Miami in 2004. He was MVP in the U.S. Chess League in 2006. Julio is a multiple time Florida State Champion, he won his 9th Florida Championship in 2021.