Tribute to Che in Lebanon
A chess tournament is held in Lebanon in homage to Che, in response to the call of the Che Study Centre of Cuba to remember the hero in many corners of the world.
In the presence of the President of the Al Mayadeen Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou and the head of the Cuban mission in Lebanon, Jorge León Cruz, the pan-Arab channel Al Mayadeen held a chess tournament in homage to the 95th birthday of the heroic guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara.
From the headquarters of the news network, lovers of the game of science evoked the passion of the revolutionary and reaffirmed their solidarity with the Caribbean island.
A total of 16 players showed their skills in a six-round blitz game. Arbiters and judges, members of the Lebanese Chess Federation, participated in the organisation of the event and expressed their friendship towards the Caribbean country.
The meeting was organised by the Che Study Centre in Cuba to commemorate the hero in various corners of the world.
In addition to this event, tournaments and simultaneous games were held in India, Thailand, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Canada, the United States and other nations of the world.
The Argentinean-Cuban revolutionary, who was posthumously awarded the Order of the Knight of Chess in 2000, always mentioned the importance of this sport for the people because of its contribution to the wisdom and thought of men.
After six rounds in the Blitz system, Al Assi Farid, Hotait Hadi and Hamoush Jad occupied the first three positions, who received their respective gold, silver and bronze medals from the hands of the President of the Al Mayadeen Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, the head of the Cuban mission in Lebanon, Jorge León Cruz, and the channel's Director of Images, Tony Aoun. In addition, gifts of recognition were also presented to all participants and judges from the Lebanese Federation.
Ben Jeddou and León acknowledged the success of the tournament, which contributed to keeping alive the thought of Che, whose example stood out in a fight of friendship with Cuba and his revolutionary work.
Ali Al-Shawish, a member of the Lebanese Chess Federation, a former player and arbiter, emphasised the capacity for analysis, strategy and passion for the game of science of the internationalist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara and highlighted his example in the massification of the sport and highlighted Cuba's achievements in promoting the game and its great players such as the world champion José Raúl Capablanca.
News anchor Abdul Rahman Ezzeddine, considered Che Guevara as one of the most important strategists for the liberation of the peoples and from the chessboard he also exhibited his best qualities. He expressed his pride for participating in this meeting in memory of the great internationalist and motivated the Arab peoples to know more about his revolutionary work and example of struggle against imperialism.
Journalist Farah Omar stressed that today "we not only remember Che Guevara's militancy, but also what he loved, such as chess".
The player Ziad Ghannawi described the figure of the internationalist, who rebelled against injustice and defended the poor and dispossessed peoples, as an icon and an example for leftists.
Another of the trebejistas, Saeed Souweidan, expressed his admiration for the figure of the heroic guerrilla fighter and pointed out that holding this tournament is a modest tribute to this symbol of solidarity.
On 14 June, Cuba and the free peoples of the world will evoke the example of Ernesto Che Guevara's struggle and resistance on his 95th birthday.