BAGHDAD, November 22 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Amid a cheering crowd outside a Baghdad cafe, "Blix" and "ElBaradei" are on what looks like an intensive search for arms.

But they are not arms inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei who were in Baghdad this week. They are team leaders in the popular game called "Mhebiss," or ring in the local dialect, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

Abu Firas, a colossal man given his nickname after chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix, stares fiercely into the eyes of dozens of men and teenagers whose tightly clenched fists conceal the ring he is looking for.

It's a game of who blinks first.

The contestants are sitting on benches outside a cafe with no visible name. A banner over its entrance reads: "We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves to defend Iraq."

Abu Firas' assistant, Abu Jassem, has been dubbed "ElBaradei," after the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"They deserve these names because they are extremely good at guessing the person hiding the ring. This is an extremely hard task," said Ali Salem, an elderly man wearing the traditional checkered Arab headscarf.

"They are very tough and do not joke during their searches for the ring because the game could easily slip into rows and even fights if it is not taken seriously or if there is cheating," he said.

That, of course, is a reflection of UN inspections set to be carried out by the IAEA and Blix's UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Committee (UNMOVIC), under a UN mandate for Iraq to disarm or face "serious consequences."

Abu Firas, raising one side of his grey robe, walks past the contestants, stopping in front of every one of them, monitoring his expression, verifying his behavior and inspecting his hands.

"But the ultimate test is the person's eyes. I read everything in the eyes. I have been playing this game for years, and now I am an expert," he said.

Abu Firas asks a series of contestants whom he guesses are not hiding the ring to open their palms one after the other to effectively prove him right.

Just like the demands of UN inspectors hunting for hidden weapons programs, he requests "unfettered" access to any person he chooses and works on a "no-notice" basis.

Then, Abu Firas suddenly turns toward a young man with a blank face, gazes deep into his eyes before swiftly slapping his fist and shouting: "Open up!"

The suspect with a seemingly innocent face then turns red, smiles, and shows the silver ring in his hand to members of Abu Firas' team who jump to their feet and cheer joyfully.

Mhebiss is only played during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, every evening after the Iftar dinner breaking a dawn-till-dusk fast. It is played in tents, cafes and even on sidewalks.

Every year, dozens of teams from all over Iraq engage in fierce Mhebiss battles in a competition sponsored by the Iraqi Olympic Committee, headed by President Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday.

Mhebiss is so popular that Uday's Youth TV has launched a live version of the game where callers are shown a computer screen with a series of hands, one of which hides a ring.

"This is an age-old popular game that we hope will never die," Mhebiss champion Jassem al-Aswad shouted in a hall over packed with more that 300 men and younger ones chanting slogans to the rhythm of drum beats.

"We are also playing to prove that the U.S. and its threats of war do not scare us and will not mar our Ramadan or disturb our lives," retorted Hajji Abed Najem, only to be applauded by his team.

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