English Chess Forum

The Stanley Marathon - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Marathon

(Note the nationality of some past winners.)

If a small, but dedicated, group of older chess-playing and younger marathon-running Argies (perhaps including some vets) are reduced to sneaking into the main island via a third country and then have to creep about in the dead of night for a couple of kilometres to reach the chess venue it's hardly a carefully planned commando operation - along the lines of the WWII Allied raid on Dieppe in 1942.

The Dieppe raid was severely repulsed by the Bosch (they've since beaten their swords into the proverbial... and make a great range of peacetime products), but it served as a testrun for the D-Day landings in 1944.

Yet, from my armchair observation post, I can't see another large seaborne invasion force appearing on the horizon any time soon.

All I can see is a small storm in a large, but otherwise empty, South Atlantic teacup, accompanied by the distant echoes of rattling sabres carried on the remnants of a whistling wind coming up from the roaring forties.

PS Presumably they left the same way they came, and may have done so in a hurry. Were any discarded scoresheets found? They might indicate the strength of the landing party.

Can't be too careful you know - the last show was preceded by "scrap merchants" occupying S. Georgia while HMF had their backs turned!!

Maybe I should start sittin' on the fence on this one, but not the peace-at-any-price one Jezza's on. No dinner for him last nite.

The Falkland Islanders have just started a chess club. The first meeting will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday at the Malvina House Hotel.

There is a Malvinas variation attached to the English Opening.

1.c4 d5 2.cxd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5

rnb1kbnr/ppp1pppp/8/q7/8/2N5/PP1PPPPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 4

Maybe the newly formed Falkland chess club can come up with a Falkland variation in the Argentinian Gambit.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 3.cxd5 Bxb1 4.Qa4+ c6 5.dxc6 Nxc6 6.Rxb1 Qxd4

r3kbnr/pp2pppp/2n5/8/Q2q4/8/PP2PPPP/1RB1KBNR w Kkq - 0 7


ECO names and variations here: https://www.chesslecture.com/eco.php

I think t was Nigel Short who previously asked why the ECF was not doing more for the UK Overseas Territories. These are:
Anguilla
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory (BAT) - ASSI has no direct responsibility in relation to BAT as the Antarctic Treaty takes precedence.
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar - outside ASSI's remit due to its position within the European Union.
Montserrat
Pitcairn Island, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) - ASSI's responsibility in relation to the SBA is limited to the provision of advice to the Administrator.
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands
Of course the responsibility would lie with the non-existent UK Chess Organisation. BCF used to have as part of its constitution to encourage chess in the Commonwealth.
Some are separate members of FIDE. Some have shown no interest. Some would not be eligible for membership of FIDE as they do not meet the current requirements, such as Gibraltar, IOM, Northern Ireland. Gib and the IOM liaise with FIDE via the ECF.

At the recent UK Armed Forces Chess Championship, there was some informal discussion about possible venues for subsequent events. Inevitably, somebody suggested Falkland Islands.

(There are practical reasons why that would not be a good idea.)

The Falkland Islands Chess Club met for the first time at the Malvina House Hotel at 7.30pm on Monday. They will meet again next week.

Nigel Short .The Falkland Islands Chess Club met for the first time at the Malvina House Hotel at 7.30pm on Monday. They will meet again next week.<

The ECF can help particularly with teaching materials and possibly equipment.

Stewart Reuben wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 1:34 pm

Nigel Short .The Falkland Islands Chess Club met for the first time at the Malvina House Hotel at 7.30pm on Monday. They will meet again next week.<

The ECF can help particularly with teaching materials and possibly equipment.

Stewart, that could mean the ECF have boards but no pieces, as yet, to go on 'em.

(Just as HMF have the carriers but no planes, as yet, to go on 'em.)

And, Nigel, the hotel is not letting on about the chess club meeting there -

http://www.malvinahousehotel.com/news/

John McKenna. There are boards, sets, clocks and scoresheets. It is not our practice to offer boards, without sets. FIDE used to offer sets without boards. Campo thought federations should be able to make their own. It might be decided that sending boards plus sets plus clocks was to expensive.
For The Gambia we also provided a computer.