Kevel Oliva Castañeda is a renowned Guatemalan chess player who has become an International Master and a Grandmaster in chess. He was born on 26th July 1994 in the city of Alta Verapaz. Castañeda's performance in the 42nd Chess Olympiad, wherein he represented Guatemala and scored five wins, is regarded as the catalyst for his rise to the position of an International Master in 2016.
He garnered further acclaim by winning the Sitting Grandmaster Norm Tournament, staged from April 25 to May 1, 2019 in Hungary. Subsequently, in September 2019, he became the first Guatemalan chess player to gain the title of Grandmaster from the World Chess Federation. His achievement also made him the first person in ten years to obtain this title in Central America.