More than 140 inmates will participate in virtual Chess Tournament

As of Thursday, February 25, 139 men and eight women will compete; Inmates of eight different nationalities, aged between 20 and 73, have registered.

SANTO DOMINGO.- Pedro, 73, and Antonio, 20, share a love for chess and both are imprisoned in different Correction and Rehabilitation Centers (CCR), where they are serving sentences for various crimes.

They are the oldest and youngest person of the 147 who will participate for three days, from February 25 to 27, in the first virtual Chess tournament of the Penitentiary Management Model, organized by the Sub-Coordination of Penitentiary Treatment and the Dominican Chess Federation.

Every day, 139 men and eight women who were selected from among the entire population of the country’s CCRs, practice the openings and strategies with which they will compete virtually in those centers that have the required equipment with physical boards.

“This tournament has the dual purpose of offering a way to reduce levels of stress and frustration in inmates, given the impossibility of receiving family visits due to the restrictions imposed to contain COVID-19 infections in the facilities, and at the same time, we promote the practice of activities that contribute to people’s growth,” explained Noel Toribio, Deputy Coordinator of Penitentiary Treatment in the Penitentiary Management Model.

Along with mostly Dominicans, 11 foreigners from Haiti, Colombia, Uruguay, Spain, Bulgaria and the United States will compete.