Black (Grandmaster) Lives Matter

[NickFaulks]

Africans, Chinese, Indians & Pakistanis now comprise the largest populations on the planet.

A story from my childhood has just returned, quite unbidden.

They say that one in every three babies born is Chinese. I've got a brother and a sister, so that means that one of us is Chinese.

My brother says it's me, but I think it's our sister, Mae Ling.

[John McKenna]

What is not true about my post other than a slight insignificant debate about sequence of posts? The key questions I posed have largely gone unanswered amidst a lot of interesting but largely irrelevant verbiage. It is very much to my mind as if the original alleged racism doesn't matter. (I include the word alleged just to avoid the repetition of your somewhat tortured justification of Avrukh). And if it really is the case that it doesn't matter to members of the chess community and governing bodies then that's pretty shocking.

Nick, can you not offer some detail about attitudes within FIDE to these issues?

You thought the time sequence significant enough to raise it. If you get away with it once you are likely to repeat that kind of slip.


I still maintain that Avrukh was not being overtly racist - covertly perhaps, but just because he disagrees with Carlsson that should not make his statement racist.

And, I think it was poor form that Jon B just posted a glib - just look at this and you can see exactly what it is without need for any discussion - just agree and we can take it from there, as you are advocating.

Nick F always tells amusing anecdotes but in his last one he has lost his grip on statistical reality, in which his local and the global experiences will seldom match.

[J T Melsom]

The FIDE website doesn't yield any explicit reference to racism through it's search facility. Whilst FIFA has a long way to go before it achieves its goals, the Living Football initiative which is easily found from the frontpage of that website includes the following;

Living Football is a commitment to the people
Whether enjoyed on the pitch, at home, in a café or bar or anywhere else in the world, football is in the fabric of our communities and of our day-to-day lives. It is our responsibility to promote the growth and the development of the game in the long term, irrespective of colour, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, to every corner of the world.

Be good if chess had a similar statement of intent. I'm going to write to FIDE tomorrow.

Some people who post on this forum have first hand experience of racism happening to family and friends. Others just want to play silly games/deny there is a problem. I know who I'd rather be alongside.

[JustinHorton]

Pontus Carlsson

[J T Melsom]

thanks - I decided not to go too deep into the accompanying comments, Its not a great advert for anything. By contrast there was a high quality debate about Black Lives Matter on a football forum I read. If chess is lagging behind football that says something to me.

[Mick Norris]

Thanks Justin, interesting read indeed

JT - well, football has had to deal with overt racism for a long time now; I partcularly remember Emile Heskey for England u21 v Yugoslavia in Barcelona in 2000, and the lack of action from UEFA; so 20 years later, football may be trying to get a grip so would be good if chess could too

[Jonathan Bryant]

Some people who post on this forum have first hand experience of racism happening to family and friends. Others just want to play silly games/deny there is a problem. I know who I'd rather be alongside.

So do the tea makers.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... olidaritea

[J T Melsom]

Spanton on BLM
Meanwhile in Britain gatherings of more than six people are broken up by the police unless, ironically, the gatherers are complaining about police violence. Perhaps someone should organise a George Floyd memorial chess tournament.

[Alex McFarlane]

Meanwhile in Britain gatherings of more than six people are broken up

Not everywhere in Britain.

Not all discrimination is deliberate. Some is unintentional.

Offence can be taken when people don't know the difference between Britain and England.

When it comes to dealing with people of a different race or culture, we all have a lot to learn.

[David Sedgwick]

Meanwhile in Britain gatherings of more than six people are broken up

Not everywhere in Britain.

Am I right in thinking that it should read:

"In Britain gatherings of more than eight people are broken up and in some parts of Britain the permitted number is fewer"?

[J T Melsom]

Just to be clear I'm quoting somebody else (Tim Spanton). The quoting from my post might give the erroneous impression any errors or views expressed are my own.

[David Sedgwick]

Just to be clear I'm quoting somebody else (Tim Spanton). The quoting from my post might give the erroneous impression any errors or views expressed are my own.

Understood. I have edited my post.

[Alex McFarlane]

Deleted

[Alex McFarlane]

Meanwhile in Britain gatherings of more than six people are broken up

Not everywhere in Britain.

Not all discrimination is deliberate. Some is unintentional.

Offence can be taken when people don't know the difference between Britain and England.

When it comes to dealing with people of a different race or culture, we all have a lot to learn.

Edited to remove author of repos
I've failed to edit original post. Apologies

[J T Melsom]

Thanks David and Alex.