Falkland Islands

[Gerard Killoran]

I see the ECF is claiming jurisdiction over the remnants of the British Empire, although I can't remember them organising anything on the Falklands/Malvinas - is there even an ECF graded player on the islands? Perhaps we can send Nigel to give a simul, or would that provoke another war?


From 2004

https://en.chessbase.com/post/nigel-sho ... h-champion

ChessBase: Nigel, we would like to congratulate you on becoming the new Commonwealth champion. That means you are the best player in the Commonwealth?

Nigel Short: Yes, best player in the former British Empire. Of course the Empire has been shrinking somewhat. We’re down to the Falklands and the Pitcairn islands I think…

Which islands?

The Pitcairn Island is the one where Fletcher Christian, the guy from the Mutiny on the Bounty, ended up with all the Tahitians ladies. Of course we also have Ascension Island, St. Helena and various other bits and bobs – a few in the Caribbean and one in the Indian Ocean I believe.

[Ian Thompson]

I'm not very confident of FIDE ruling in the ECFs favour, even if we do now have friends in vice-high places.

I can't find any record of the most recent tournaments having been registered for FIDE rating. If I'm right, FIDE could refuse to rate them for not following the regulations requiring them to be registered in advance, avoiding dealing with the more substantive issue.

I don't have a Times subscription so do not know if that adds anything substantial.

You used to be able to have a free subscription giving you access to two articles per week. It still works for me. I don't know if it's available now.

[NickFaulks]

You used to be able to have a free subscription giving you access to two articles per week. It still works for me. I don't know if it's available now.

Unfortunately I've blown mine, one by going to something that I thought might be interesting but wasn't, the other by clicking on a link that I hadn't noticed was The Times.

[John McKenna]

...and one in the Indian Ocean I believe.

Readers might venture to compare the treatment of that "one" and the Falklands.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagos_Archipelago

[Angus French]

I see the ECF is claiming jurisdiction over the remnants of the British Empire, although I can't remember them organising anything on the Falklands/Malvinas - is there even an ECF graded player on the islands? Perhaps we can send Nigel to give a simul, or would that provoke another war?

Quite. You might also ask, who is the ECF representing here? Is there a Falkland Islands chess association? Who from the Falkland Islands requested the ECF's assistance? Further, I don't see that any Falkland Islands chess body is a member of the ECF or contributes towards the funding of the ECF.

[LawrenceCooper]

Their chess scene seems active on chess.com but not sure about anywhere else:

https://www.chess.com/club/team-falkland-islands-
https://www.chess.com/club/chess-univer ... nd-islands

[Jonathan Rogers]

This objection does have the impression of being a bizarre hobby horse of one or two individuals, and if so it would not be the first time that the name of the ECF has been thus used. Seeing "certain newspapers" running the story simultaneously does not dispel that impression. But then we see that other national federations have joined the ECF, which deepens the mystery. Perhaps our friends from Scotland or Wales can enlighten us, if no one involved in the ECF will?

[Leonard Barden]

Their chess scene seems active on chess.com but not sure about anywhere else:

https://www.chess.com/club/team-falkland-islands-
https://www.chess.com/club/chess-univer ... nd-islands

The first chess.com link does not work. The only working second link claims five Falkland Islands members. These are listed individually, and four have a United States flag and the other is German.

No sign whatever of a Falklands resident.

[LawrenceCooper]

Their chess scene seems active on chess.com but not sure about anywhere else:

https://www.chess.com/club/team-falkland-islands-
https://www.chess.com/club/chess-univer ... nd-islands

The first chess.com link does not work. The only working second link claims five Falkland Islands members. These are listed individually, and four have a United States flag and the other is German.

No sign whatever of a Falklands resident.

https://www.chess.com/club/team-falkland-islands

[Leonard Barden]

https://www.chess.com/club/team-falkland-islands

This link reveals three 'members'. One is from Montenegro, one from Ukraine, the third from Argentina(!).

[JustinHorton]

I guess there are questions of jurisdiction here and it's conceivably quite proper for the ECF to raise them if it thinks its turf is being encroached on here. (Is it? I wouldn't have the tenth part of a clue.) I think we could live without yapping about "provocations", to be honest.

[Nigel Short]

You might also ask, who is the ECF representing here? Is there a Falkland Islands chess association? Who from the Falkland Islands requested the ECF's assistance? Further, I don't see that any Falkland Islands chess body is a member of the ECF or contributes towards the funding of the ECF.

The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly protested to FIDE. The pdf is on the ECF website.
Rather than asking whether the Falkland Islands currently contributes to the ECF, perhaps the ECF ought to be asking how best to promote chess in the Falklands. Just a thought. A bit revolutionary for some people, I know...

[Nigel Short]

This is also of interest. https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/ajedrez ... fbeqI.html

[Stewart Reuben]

My attention was drawn to this subject by an article by Nichols Hellen in today's Sunday Times. So I looked on the EC Forum nd here it is.
1. The ECF does have control over various chess events, providing the conduit to FIDE. This includes events in Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. They can hardly be said to be insignificant. There may be others, which have no direct link with FIDE. None of that was in the ST.

2. Let us assume the ST article is correct. I know that may prove not to be true.
The tournament is said to be a tournament between Marc Villers Townsend (sic) whose FIN is 192449 ( my interpolation) a Royal Navy lieutenant against Colonel Major jose Jimenez Corbalan (who does not have a FIN). The lieutenant was soundly beaten 1.5 to 2.5. (I don't think 1.5-2.5 is usually regarded as soundly beaten). It was of course a match.
Neither player has a FIDE Rating so the match cannot be rated at all by FIDE. Again my statement, not in the article. The problem is that the official arbiter sought to register the tournament as having taken place on Argentine land. The ACF referred to the players as Malvinas ex-combatants and to Port Stanley as Puerto Argentino.

The ST asked Jeremy Hunt to comment. He tweeted 'The Falkland Islands are part of the UK, the status of this particular square on the board is not in question.' Twitter users immediately pointed out that the islands are an overseas territory, 8000 miles from the UK.

As far as I know, it has not been suggested that the British Championships be held in The Falklands. Some years ago it was suggested they be held in France and that was NOT voted down by the BCF Board of the time.

[JustinHorton]

This is also of interest. https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/ajedrez ... fbeqI.html

So it is, not least the passage which reads

Nadie quería desatar un escándalo diplomático por utilizar las palabras inapropiadas. El evento no debía resultar ofensivo por exceso de patriotismo

which doesn't entirely sit well with the idea of the event as a "provocation".

The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly protested to FIDE. The pdf is on the ECF website.

So it is, and the letter is dated 8 May, which is after your own tweet on the subject and for that matter after Lucy Fisher's.

I would be interested to know who brought the matter to your attention, and who prompted Mr Pollard to write his letter.