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It has been a while since Canada tackled anything on the Official FIDE Calendar. Last October at the FIDE Executive Board meeting this reality loomed large during the discussions about Zonal reconfiguration. As a member of “FIDE America”, the “continent “ of the western hemisphere, I don’t believe we have held any events at all. Over the course of that week it became quite clear that most of the support for our zone came from FIDE America. So when the NAYCC was looking for a home in 2010 it behoved Canada to host the tournament.
The timing was perfect! CMA was seeking a little icing for their 25th birthday cake, and so a welcoming home was found for the North American Youth. A great organizing team, a record number of players and a large, largely co-operative contingent of parents made the event a resounding success – one to build on, we hope!
Amid the grand spectacle, the most poignant memories of this tournament for me were those of the little team from Haiti. Despite everything that Haiti has been through they were the gems of the tournament. They were the best behaved, their penmanship was adorable (and did not deteriorate with their positions) and to top it all off they brought gifts for their opponents in every round! Sometimes I was asked by the Haitians to help convey their goodwill. Somehow it was all quite moving.
At the closing dinner, where about 15% of delegations took the time to attend, team Haiti was there in full force. With a little help from his favourite Argentine Malbec, Larry Bevand engaged the crowd quite masterfully and once again team Haiti stood out. Gratitude for the opportunity and a dash of ambition was their eloquent message as they each took a turn at the microphone. I hope we can host them again – we need more of that!
The timing was perfect! CMA was seeking a little icing for their 25th birthday cake, and so a welcoming home was found for the North American Youth. A great organizing team, a record number of players and a large, largely co-operative contingent of parents made the event a resounding success – one to build on, we hope!
Amid the grand spectacle, the most poignant memories of this tournament for me were those of the little team from Haiti. Despite everything that Haiti has been through they were the gems of the tournament. They were the best behaved, their penmanship was adorable (and did not deteriorate with their positions) and to top it all off they brought gifts for their opponents in every round! Sometimes I was asked by the Haitians to help convey their goodwill. Somehow it was all quite moving.
At the closing dinner, where about 15% of delegations took the time to attend, team Haiti was there in full force. With a little help from his favourite Argentine Malbec, Larry Bevand engaged the crowd quite masterfully and once again team Haiti stood out. Gratitude for the opportunity and a dash of ambition was their eloquent message as they each took a turn at the microphone. I hope we can host them again – we need more of that!
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