Guantanamo.- The 12th “Clásico del Guaso” Domino Tournament—one of Cuba’s premier events and a qualifying competition for the World Domino Championship—has begun in this city. Together with Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo is considered one of the country’s main strongholds for seven-tile dominoes.
Traditionally held in November, this high-level tournament was brought forward to September 23–27 to accommodate the upcoming World Championship organized by FEMUNDO, the World Domino Federation, which will take place in the Dominican Republic from October 27–31.
Fifty-six players are competing in the *Clásico*, including seven representatives of the Caribbean nation that will host the world championship. Five Cuban provinces are represented at the *Guaso* tournament: Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, Camagüey, and Guantánamo. The latter has four players who have qualified for the world championship: Olvis Rodríguez, Maikel Tabío, Yunior Esteban, and Amaury Londres.
Through today, the competition will use the format known as “La Octava” (“The Eighth”). Under this format, each player competes in five individual matches, five matches with their regular partner, and five additional matches with different partners. This format will also be used at the World Championship, making practice during the Guantánamo *Clásico* particularly important.
The pairs competition will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It will consist of 21 rounds, with each round lasting a maximum of 30 minutes.
