By Gasper Almeida, Kuwait
Kuwait December 9, 2010: It was Friday, December the 3rd, and the
Indian English Academy School (IEAS), fondly called as Don Bosco School
in Salimya was buzzing with activity and enthusiasm, right from 12 noon
until late evening. Yes you have guessed it right - the event was the
half decade old and the very popular CRYchess tournament. In this sixth
chess tournament, organized by Friends of CRY Club (FOCC), a record
number of children, 192 exactly, paired themselves for 5 rounds of the
game. Children of all ages and nationalities competed. The young
competitors were divided into six groups arranged by the participant's
age, competing for the first three places in each group. A special
trophy was also to be presented to the youngest participant.
The players' enthusiasm, competitiveness, spirit and style were
impressive as they vied for the winner's trophies. The youngest of the
young was just above 6 years. Rarely has a group of children so young
appeared so focused and quiet. The players are paired in the Swiss
Pairing System, which is used in many international chess tournaments.
All the children play all the 5 rounds. After each round, the computer
software pairs players based on the automatically calculated player
rankings.
After the 5th round the final ranking is determined by the software
according to number of games won and on the rating of the opponents
defeated. Each group was supervised by an Arbiter. The Arbiters are
volunteers, who have a good chess playing background, and have offered
their services for the cause. FOCC thanks all Arbiters for their
continued support and cooperation.
The winners in each group were (in the order – first, second and third
place): Group White Opal - Jonathan Vinay, Sukriti Bhardwaj, and Mohamed
Uwaise; Group Voilet Amethyst: Vishwanath Jeyaraman, Aditya Sudhakaran,
and Rama Narayanan; Group Green Emerald: Arunachalam, Nithin Koshy
Rajeev, and Rohan Shaji John; Group Red Ruby: Akshaya, NagaOmkar
Prathipati and Satvik; Group Blue Saphire: Anjula Mary Antonis, Mayank
Jain, and Abhinav Surapaneni; and Group Yellow Topaz: Issac Abheek,
Boppe Sai Amruth, and Someishwar Thamaraiselva. The youngest player
award was presented to Alrricq Scott D'Souza.
The tournament would not be so alive and colorful but for the support of
the "CRYbuddies", who are children who have chosen to dedicate their
time and effort contributing towards the success of the event. This
year, the entire load of activities at the "Kid's Corner" and the "Buy
for CRY" stall were handled by these young volunteers - Kynara
Fernandes, Enaam Merchant, Mohit Mukul Bhagwat, Qaisarali Merchant, Rana
Modak, Dikshita Samudrala, and Samatha Arun. Special thanks to them all
and for their parents who encourage them.
"With CRY everyone Wins" is the slogan FOCC carries. In Kuwait, the
children are slowly being made aware of the activities of Child, Rights
& You (CRY), the parents get an channel for their support and
unfortunate children back home in India get a chance to be children
through CRY. In addition to the winners, all the participants are
awarded a medal and a certificate.
His Excellency, the Ambassador of India, Ajai Malhotra graced the
Closing Ceremony by his presence. "Chess is a form of intelligence, it
develops the mind's concentration, strategic & planning skills in
addition to competitiveness", he said, "and I also congratulate FOCC on
their efforts in organizing this event for children back home in India".
During the closing ceremony the Chief Coordinator appreciated the
enthusiasm of the children and also thanked parents in supporting,
encouraging and chauffeuring their children to the tournament, without
which FOCC would not be able to succeed in their efforts. A presentation
of achievements of CRY was given to all present. Trophies and
certificates to the winners and the youngest participant were also
presented by the Ambassador, followed by the medals presentation to all
other participants by the FOCC officials. For more details of the FOCC
activities, please visit the website: http://www.focckwt.org/ or email
[email protected]
Photos & Article at:
http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=211272
