At 20 years old, Candela Francisco has just added a new achievement to an extraordinary sports career: she was crowned Pan American Under-20 Chess Champion , in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Candela finished the tournament undefeated, with 7,5 points out of a possible 9 , the result of six wins and three draws, in a tournament that brought together 61 players. In the final round, against American Narayan Venkatesh, her performance allowed her to secure first place and win the continental title.
The conquest also had a special importance in her career: with this performance Candela achieved the title of International Master (IM Absolute) , thus becoming the second woman in the country to achieve it, and obtained her first norm, and one more step, to reach the highest distinction in chess, the title of GrandMaster Absolute (GM) , which only 40 women have obtained in history.
A career that continues to grow
The title obtained in Honduras adds to a career that had already made her one of the great figures of Argentine Chess.
In 2023, Candela became the Under-20 World Champion , the first woman from Argentina to achieve that title. In 2025, she made history again by winning the Women's Continental Championship for the second time and consolidating her position as the number 1 player in the national ranking.
By becoming world champion in 2023, at less than 18 years old, Candela also achieved the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) , the highest title within the female category, being the third Argentine woman to achieve it.
These achievements are now complemented by the Pan American Under-20 absolute championship (involving men and women) and his recent International Master (IM Absolute) title.
Two worlds that share the same logic
In January of this year, Candela participated in an episode of the Austral Experiences podcast with Professor Fernando Toller , Director of the Law program . The conversation revolved around a challenge that is part of her daily life: combining high-level athletic competition with university studies.
In that conversation, Candela explained that she chose to study Law because of her concern about injustice and the need to have the tools to confront it . Once she began her studies, she also started to discover the similarities between the two worlds: chess and law.
The comparison is especially relevant in a career like law. When faced with a case, just like on a chessboard, knowing the rules isn't enough. It's necessary to interpret the situation, identify the alternatives, develop a strategy, anticipate possible responses, and make decisions. Sometimes, the best move is simply to wait.
The challenge of playing on two boards
The demands of a high-performance sports career might seem difficult to reconcile with a university degree. However, Candela chose to take on both challenges.
In the interview, the chess player shared her experience of navigating these two paths simultaneously : training and international competitions, while progressing in her university studies.
The combination requires organization, discipline, and time management skills . But it also brings into dialogue two forms of training that, far from being incompatible, can enrich each other.
In this conversation, Fernando Toller explained how, in the case of Candela and other high-performance athletes who study at Austral University, the University seeks to support them so that they can combine their academic training with sports practice , without giving up the great demands that come with belonging to this institution.
Think about the next move
The Pan American Under-20 Championship is now part of her story. With the title of International Master (IM) and a new Grandmaster norm, Candela continues to advance and will compete in the upcoming Chess Olympiad, scheduled for September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. There, she will be part of the Argentine team, while continuing her studies as a law student.
To learn more about her experience and the challenge of combining high-performance sports with university studies , we invite you to revisit the conversation with Candela on the Experiencias Austral podcast : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnm1YDhh3yA
