by Gasper Almeida, Kuwait
Kuwait, Apr 21: The Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) of Kuwait staged their fourth annual CRYchess tournament on Friday, April 18th, when 128 children participated in the day long event at the Indian English Academy School (IEAS) at Salmiya. Playing in the Swiss pairing format the youngsters were divided into age based categories producing four winners who walked away with the Siemens-sponsored Trophies. All participants also received certificates and medals from Child Rights & You (CRY) as well as the trophies for the first and the second runners-up in each category. At the onset, FOCC officials welcomed the children and parents, followed by a briefing and introduction of FOCC, CRY and the issues related to children in India and a powerpoint presentation. Fr. Tony D'Souza, principal of IEAS inaugurated the tournament and wished all the participants success thereafter the competitors sat down for their grueling session of games. The technical persons in charge and arbitrators were very impressed with the standard of play and were full of praise for the skills that were on display.
The games that were held simultaneously in four rooms were monitored centrally and results and rankings were on display on wide screen for the large number of parents and well wishers who were keeping an eye on the progress of their young stars.
The following is the list of winners and first and second runners up:
SUB-JUNIORS: 1st prize: Athul Suresh, 2nd prize: Kean Alric, and 3rd prize: Issac Abheek
JUNIORS: 1st prize: Astrid Jerald Javis, 2nd prize: N. Krishna, and 3rd prize: Manuel Andrade.
SENIORS: 1st prize: Ram Narayanan, 2nd prize: Tharun Rajeev, and 3rd prize: K. Santosh
SUPER SENIORS: 1st prize: Inderaneel Samaddar, 2nd prize: Kevin Biju, and 3rd prize: Esha Uboweja.
The prize for the youngest participant went to Karan Santuka aged just 5 years and 10 months. The awards ceremony saw Herbert Klausner, Power Automation Control Division Manager of SIEMENS and Mrs. Ute Klausner giving away the trophies, prizes and certificates to top a day of hectic board games. It is the second time in succession that SIEMENS have supported the FOCC's Chess Tournament.
Besides the chess, FOCC also had the traditional stalls to keep the parents and other children busy. 'Buy for CRY' did brisk sales while the Kids Corner was buzzing with activity throughout, run by Kids themselves. FOCC endeavour to spread awareness among children in Kuwait of the rights of their less fortunate brethren in the developing world, specially back home. All players were encouraged to participate in the battle to establish a better world for children in need. The same message is carried in CRYcket , which is a popular activity staged annually and open to all U14s in Kuwait, and the 'Brain Bang' which runs throughout the year.
The presentation ceremony winded up with a vote of thanks. FOCC expresses its proud appreciation to the parents, schools management, and all supporters who have contributed and have encouraged their wards/students. A memento in appreciation of Siemens' support to FOCC and CRY was presented to Herbert Klausner. A power point presentation was displayed throughout the day focussing on "Girl Child" - the theme of this year's CRY initiative.
More pictures and activities can be viewed at www.focckwt.org FOCC looks forward to more volunteers and support from the Indian community. To know more about how you may be able to contribute your time and talent for the benefit of the youngsters email focckwt@yahoo.com