...Right during my first visit to Cuba I met Fidel Castro. It happened during a baseball game... We then talked in the stands and I learned that he also likes chess. Later I saw him play one game and already his second move was frightful. Members of his cabinet once played a small tournament where Fidel finnished second. I do not know if others helped him to it.

First, without any competition, was Dr. Guevara, that is, Che. Even in Europe he would have been a fist-rank chessplayer. He was very found of chess. During the tournaments---starting in 1962, Havana hosted a yearly Capablanca Memorial---Che was probably never at his cabinet post; he was all the time with us in the tournament hall. He watched all play and during the breaks played blitz games with us. Che was a wonderful man, incredibly humble and a true revolutionary-idealist. I visited him several times in his cassa, last time in Sptember, 1964. During one of our games he fell into a deep thought; then he said:

"Sabe, companero Pachman. I do not care for my cabinet post. Either I would love to play chess as you do, or make revolution in Venezuela."

Hacer la revolucion, its a typical spanish or better said ibero-american expression. Its interesting that Che spoke of Venezuela then, not Bolivia---I remember it very well. I also remeber my reply to his words:

"You know, comandante, to make revolucion is certainly interesting, but to play chess is safer."

Che laughed it off and said that, unfortunately, he was not good enough at chess, that he had more experience with revolution. He discarded my advice and, a half a year later, he surrendered his cabinet post of minister of industries of Cuba and started to wander the mountains of Bolivia.

Of course, his true reason was not any disinterest in his high government post; it all originated in political disagreements with Fidel. It was not any secret that Che disliked Soviets and that his guiding light was Mao. During discussions---if there was any political discussion at all---Che was clerarly very careful, but his subtle hints pointed out clearly his preferences.

In 1963, the fight for foreign allegiance of Cuba was far from settled. During a 4-hour speech at Plaza de la Revolucion Fidel sharply criticised Soviet foreigh policy. It was an endless speech and it was hard to listen for so long. The only entertainment was provided by an explosion of some bomb. Fidel remained calm and brushed it off with a joke. After midnight, with Fidel speech finally over, people were greeting some Chinese trade dellegation and these Chinese were beaming with delight.

But a year later there was a turn in things: Cuban economy collapsed and Soviets started to pump in money. Fidel became a realist and Che left to die in Bolivia.

http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/c...

PASSIONATE about chess because he believed it to be a discipline that develops intellectual capacity and strategic thinking, Ernesto Che Guevara was registered as one of the island’s Grand Masters.

During a series of simultaneous games, Cuba’s top ten players commemorated the death of the Argentine-Cuban guerrilla, who was captured and assassinated in Bolivia on October 8-9, 1967.

"This is the best way to pay tribute to the person who promoted chess in our country," commented Cuban Leinier Domínguez, who led the games involving 150 members of the Central Organization Cuban Workers, the venue for the event symbolically titled "Che Lives".

The 21-year-old – who finished in fifth place at the last world championship in Tripoli, Libya – stated that "ever since I was a child, I have been told how much Che loved to play chess and attend tournaments."

Danilo Bueta, director of the Latin American Higher Institute of Chess in Havana, explained that Che praised the game because it "develops one’s ability to concentrate, imposes a standard of conduct, and provides strategic stability and thinking," as well as encouraging children "to make decisions through play."

The official said that as well as a tournament at the heroic guerrilla’s mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara – some 200 kilometers east of the capital - the Cuban team is also scheduled to take part in the International Olympiad in Mallorca, Spain.

The mausoleum includes a memorial with a statue of Guevara more than three meters high and, since their transfer from Bolivia to Cuba in 1997, the guerrilla’s remains are likewise located here. (AMG)