A faithful reader sent me a link to a WSJ article about the powerful Cuban Miami Dade College chess team. When I hear "Cuba" and "chess," I think of Capablanca, world chess champion from 1921-1927. As in the former USSR, chess is taken very seriously in Cuba - Fidel Castro has made learning the game obligatory in Cuban schools.
With an IM and two masters, they have one of the strongest college teams. They used to have another senior master, Bruci Lopez, until he was offered a scholarship at the University of Maryland (they offer some great chess scholarships). The UMBC Chess Club has two GM's, an IM and an FM - with an average rating of 2544 - wow!