English Chess Forum

The Greenlandic Chess Federation website says that they have 30,000 chess players and want to organize international chess tournaments.

Francis Fields wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 29, 2019 3:06 pm

The Greenlandic Chess Federation website says that they have 30,000 chess players and want to organize international chess tournaments.

That is impressive out of a total population of 55,000.

So maybe it is a stat from the "x million chess players worldwide" school of (non) reliability?

Well currently it's even worse, as we don't even have a source.

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 29, 2019 6:44 pm

Well currently it's even worse, as we don't even have a source.

A Google for chess Greenland comes up with this link

https://www.chess.com/club/team-greenland

The membership count is 44.

Since there are few chess players on Greenland, this team will take another view. This will be a team for Greenlanders, descendants of Greenlanders, and people concerned about Greenland. If you are at all concerned about the effects of global warming on Greenland, please join and show your support.

Otherwise there's this from 2003
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/che ... olumn.html

As I am not seeing our claim on either of those two pages we still seem to be without a source

Without a link as supporting evidence, I would suggest that this thread is worthless and should be removed.
I should mention, however, whilst we are on the subject, that Luke McShane once won a strongish open tournament in Greenland. I also won a rapid chess match (on tie-break) against Johann Hjartarson in Nuuk.

Do you have a link for the "Greenlandic Chess Federation website"? There is no mention of a Greenlandic Chess Federation on the FIDE website.

Another (old) reference to chess in Greenland - http://faroffchess.blogspot.com/2008/11 ... nland.html

Francis Fields has form for this type of Forum post.

This is what he wrote in June 2016:

I have heard that the first chess tournament held in England was Oswestry in 1652. The organisers announced it a year in advance so word would spread. The tournament was won by a Mr G Burton a blacksmith from Cheam with 31/31 !!

According to the tournament book people were going up to his opponents and saying 'Are you going for a burton?'

Like his post at the top of this thread, his first tournament in England thread also produced several baffled replies.

There are also a couple of dodgy Francis Field posts in the current thread about the forthcoming Laws book.

Like Nigel Short above, I don't think it is acceptable to use the Forum for historical nonsense disguised as serious posts.

I think this is a case where Carl as chief moderator should take strong action.

That comes over as a little bit po-faced. More fool any forum poster for taking such nonsense seriously. It’s hardly on the Trump or Putin fake news scale.

I think it's a good ice breaker/conversation piece.

And, it has already served as a timely reminder that high-grade chess has reached Greenland at least twice.

Perhaps someone is trying to draw attention to "climate change" and the melting of Greenland's glaciers - although I think I recently glimpsed, in passing, a report that the largest one might even be growing!?

If so, chess is a good vehicle for that since it certainly helps the men and women of the Northlands while away the long winter nights in front of their great log fires.

John McKenna wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 31, 2019 5:52 pm

although I think I recently glimpsed, in passing, a report that the largest one might even be growing!?

Careful, John. Saying things like that is nowadays punishable as a hate crime.

John McKenna wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 31, 2019 5:52 pm

the largest one might even be growing

Talking of which, and before Greenland or this thread are inundated by climate change or the actions of Carl Hibbard, I thought you might welcome having your attention drawn to this wonderful book. It describes the true adventures of Tete-Michel Kpomassie, from Togo, who travelled through Greenland some years back. I've read the book, and can vouch for its charm. Tete-Michel was fondly received, especially by the ladies. They weren't looking for chess though

A review

One of the most unusual travel books ever written, covering two exotic societies in the eyes of the west: animist West Africa and the eskimos of Greenland. Written originally in French about 25 years ago, and covering events happening in the 50s and 60s, the book starts as Tete-Michel Kpomassie, a teenager in his native Togo, nearly dies in a fall from a tree. After that, his father sends him to a local python cult in the jungle to cure him. In gratitude, the father decides Tete is destined to become a priest in the cult. But Tete has another ideas. While recovering from his injuries, he finds by chance a book about Greenland and became obsessed with the idea of going there. By a sustained effort of will, Kpomassie worked his way through Africa and Europe before arriving in Greenland after several years. Being possibly the first African to visit Greenland, and the first black person most of the Greenlanders had ever seen, he becomes a minor celebrity. He travels up north through the coast of west Greenland, stopping in several villages, where he was invariably taken into someone's home as a guest. He candidly writes about his shock about what he saw as a lack of personal hygiene on the part of the Greenlanders as well as their sexual promiscuity

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 31, 2019 5:57 pm

John McKenna wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 31, 2019 5:52 pm

although I think I recently glimpsed, in passing, a report that the largest one might even be growing!?

Careful, John. Saying things like that is nowadays punishable as a hate crime.

Well not really no

Moved into General as really not that serious a topic.