SUMMARY

• three-time Georgia state women’s champion: 2009, 2011, 2013

• Women's International Master (WIM) title

• teacher and coach to over 5,000 students since 2006
• 7-year columnist for Georgia Chess magazine
• titled guest at the popular Girls Club rooms at national scholastic events for US Chess
• 15-time National Girls & Women Chess Champion in Venezuela (1988-2002)
• orthodontist, developed “Chesssmile braces,” which feature chess motifs

She has played competitive chess since her childhood. Her International FIDE peak rating was 2191, resulting from numerous finishes in the top positions in National and International Championships from the scholastic level until the adult master level.  These events include: Chess Olympiads, Zonal, Open events, Pan-American, Center-American, World Cadet, Youth and World Juniors and Girls championships.  For more than 15 years she was a member  of the National Chess team representing her native Country of Venezuela in more than 35 countries around the world. 

Dr. Blanco also served as a respected columnist for the GCA magazine of record, Georgia Chess. She first started writing Georgia Chess articles in 2007, when editor David Woolf tapped Dr. Blanco to write a regular scholastics column, which she faithfully executed for over three years. Her 20 columns often featured game analysis of Georgia’s scholastic players. In 2011, she switched to a general instructional column featuring international chess and, increasingly, woman’s chess. Her 14 columns ended with the demise of the magazine at the end of 2013. In all, her 34 columns over nearly seven years are among the longest streak for a columnist in Georgia Chess history.

Dr. Blanco currently dedicates her time and talents to encouraging the next generation of female chess players within the state of Georgia and beyond.

One of the earliest supporters of the US Chess Women’s Initiative, Dr. Blanco has become a fixture at national scholastic events for US Chess, most notably as the titled guest at the popular Girls Club rooms. Dr. Blanco also has appeared on the award-winning Ladies Knight podcast, hosted by WGM Jennifer Shahade. Additionally, during COVID-19,she offered online instruction to girls on how to score upsets.

Dr. Blanco has an academic education as an Orthodontist from Brazil, she  developed “Chesssmile braces”, which feature chess motifs.  Additionally, she owns a company, OrthoChess, that brings chess education to several school programs in Georgia.

Dr. Blanco has been a consistent and positive representative for the state of Georgia through her multiple championships, her activism, and her professionalism. Further, she has been an effective and ardent proponent of raising the profile of women and girls in chess, both in the state of Georgia and nationally.

NOTE: This nomination was initiated by Melinda J. Matthews.

Sources:

https://players.chessbase.com/en/player/Blanco%20Acevedo_Maria%20Carolina/26807

https://brasilbase.pro.br/p18g1997.htm

https://brasilbase.pro.br/p10g1989.htm

https://brasilbase.pro.br/p.php

https://en.chessbase.com/post/chemile-orthodontic-braces-with-a-difference/352

https://www.orthotown.com/Images/Orthotown/magimages/0113/OTJan13pg26.pdf

https://new.uschess.org/news/dr-carolina-blanco-teach-girls-club-zoom-scoring-upsets

https://www.365chess.com/players/Carolina_Blanco

“Dr. Carolina Blanco To Teach Girls Club ZOOM on Scoring Upsets.  ”US Chess online
https://new.uschess.org/news/dr-carolina-blanco-teach-girls-club-zoom-scoring-upsets.
Georgia Chess magazine electronic collection.
Ladies Knight podcast https://ladiesknight.org/2019/05/ladies-knight-with-jen-shahade-featuring-wim-carolina-blanco-lk005/.
OrthoChess https://www.orthochess.com.
website:  Dr. Carolina Blanco | Woman International Chess Master and Orthodontist Specialist.