María Teresa Mora Iturralde was born in Havana on October 15, 1902. She died on October 3, 1980, in Havana. María Teresa was considered a child prodigy in various fields. Chess was one of them. From a very young age, she played chess against her father, whom it was normal for her to win. Which led her to be a student of Rafael de Pazos, who remained president of the Havana Chess Club for several years, and later José Raúl Capablanca, admired for her way of playing, decided to accept her as a disciple, being the only person he bestowed upon him such a high honor. At the age of 11, she participated and won in her first tournament, at the Havana Chess Club, being his first feat in the sport.
In 1922 she conquered the Cuban national title by winning the Copa Dewars tournament, an event that was considered the national championship and with her being the only woman in the tournament. In 1938 she obtained the women's national title, which she held for 22 years, until 1960, retiring undefeated. She participated representing Cuba in two world women's chess championships, in 1939 in Buenos Aires, with Vera Menchik as the winner, and in 1949/50 in Moscow, with Lyudmila Rudenko as the winner. In 1950 she received the title of International Master from the hands of Folke Rogard, president of the International Chess Federation, and became the first Latin American woman to achieve it.[9]
