by Raul Menchaca

HAVANA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Ernesto Iglesias, 7, is an avid fan of Spanish club Real Madrid, as evident from his T-shirt, which is emblazoned with the No. 7, just like the jersey of famed footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

But while he loves soccer, he is even more passionate about chess.

"Soccer is my hobby, but chess is my life," he says with uncanny wisdom as he sits in front of one of 100 chessboards placed in the Ambassadors Hall of the Habana Libre Hotel, which is hosting a children's chess tournament called "Looking for Capablanca."

The contest for minors coincides with the 53rd edition of the Capablanca Memorial, an international chess tournament for elite players, also taking place at the hotel through Sunday.

Ernesto arrives every morning accompanied by his mother, one of 160 kids participating in the second edition of the children's competition taking place alongside the oldest chess tournament in the Americas.

Children run and scream around a giant chess board with pieces nearly their own size, until an organizer in a green shirt with the Capablanca logo signals it's time to play. Now serious and silent, they take their places in front of the chessboards to play a seven-round Swiss-system tournament.

The success of the first Capablanca event for kids encouraged organizers to hold another, this time inviting competitors from Spain, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico to play with their Cuban counterparts.

"Having so many children (participate) is the result of what is being done in the country to make chess more popular. The introduction of the game as a subject in schools has had a great influence," National Chess Commissioner Carlos Rivero said.

Pedro Diaz is a father and chess instructor from the nearby city of Matanzas who arrived in Havana with his children's team, including his outstanding daughter Lianet Diaz, 13, who ranked third in the last Cuban school championship.

"This is the best thing that can happen to a chess player because the country's best are here," said Diaz, while watching Lianet spar with another top player.

From a distance, Diaz watched his daughter with some anxiety, as well as with optimism.

"She has everything going for her: talent, dedication and the support of the family," said Diaz.

Like many of the other kids, after finishing her games Lianet has a quick lunch, then goes to observe the adult players in the afternoons, especially grandmaster Lazaro Bruzon, the Cuban with the highest Elo rating of 2,564 points.

Children observe the older players with curious admiration, perhaps dreaming of one day becoming the next Jose Raul Capablanca, Cuba's "Mozart of Chess," who learned to play at the age of four from watching his father and grew up to be a world champion.?