"Taylor Kingston" wrote in message
om...
(Ivan) wrote in message
. com...

"What country is that flag from?"

The red cross on a white field is the flag of St. George, which was
(I believe) the English national flag from about 1200 until about
1603, when James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I and became James
I of England, ruling both countries. Under James, the Scottish flag
(the cross of St. Andrew, a white X on a blue field) was combined with
the cross of St. George. The union of England and Scotland as Great
Britain was formalized by the Act of Union of 1707. Still later (about
1801 I believe), the cross of St. Patrick (red X on white) was added
to represent Ireland. This is the Union Jack of today, the flag of
Great Britain, aka The United Kingdom, composed of England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
For whatever reason, Adams appears to be identifying himself as
specifically English rather than British.

Who knows? Maybe Michael is specifically identifying himself with English St
George and St Michael. Maybe the Libyans didn't have a proper Cornish flag,
the one with 15 golden pasties in a downward pointing triangle formation,
with a couple of rooks looking on.

Should you like to take a look at Michael's home town try this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/photos/falmouth/1.shtml
where there are 27 views. I think #20 shows a palm tree, the climate is the
mildest in Britain.

Another omnibus view shows the Dome - surely a great place for an
international chess event?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/connec...onnected.shtml

Falmouth town has lots of American links, and was a prime port for
transatlantic American packet ships.

These messages brought to you by the Cornish Pasty Council. Phil

Taylor Kingston

For whatever reason, Adams appears to be identifying himself as
specifically English rather than British.

Oh, good, I thought he played for a country by the name of Adamstan! Just
kidding!

These messages brought to you by the Cornish Pasty Council. Phil

and... Taylor, let me describe the chess culture there, since the population
is about the same as our own state, about 250,000 on a long peninsula
sticking out into the Atlantic. I remember the longest possible ride from
one club to another, probably St Ives or Penzance in the west, to St.
Austell in the east was about 45 miles.

There were 2 chess leagues, A and B, each of 16 teams of 6 people each, plus
a reserve. So approximately 225 players. 'A' league board 3 might be 1650
average, and 'B' league board 3, 1400. Top boards could be anything from
2000 to 2400. [I remember an American master/Californian, in our league,
forgotten his name].

One interclub league match game per week at game/100.
Every club had a knockout style individual championship.
There was also an interclub annual knockout championship.
There was a county individual championship.
One inter-county match over 20 boards every other week. Bottom board maybe
1700.

Michael would have typically travelled about 100 miles [in Anton's car
laugh] each way to the intercounty matches over Bodmin moor and Dartmoor
to Exeter University, alternatively Exeter chessclub. These matches were
with other "Wessex" counties, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. The Cornish county
captain was the venerable P. H. Clarke who always had some several hundred
chess books with him for sale, many in English.

So, typically one might play 60 or 70 rated games per year, or a strong
player as many as 200 rated games simply from the county basis.

Michael joined the league via the Truro School chess club for students aged
between about 12 and 18 [like a US high school], and later joined the
Falmouth club. The funny thing was that when I remember him he was not even
the strongest player at Truro School. A fellow called Nick Cummings [about
master level at the time] who used to post here knew Michael better than I
did, and says that when Michael was 14 he was practically unbeatable.

Cordially, Phil Innes



Taylor Kingston

The flag is the English flag. - red cross on a white background.
You are probably thinking of the red white and blue union jack which is the
British flag. The union jack is a composite of the english flag and the
scottish flag (a white diagonal cross on a blue background) .

Britian, is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Although some NI people don't want to be part of Britian, some do, hence a
bit of trouble and shooty bang bang over there






"Ivan" wrote in message
om...
It says on site that GM Michael Adams is from England but how come
they are using a different country's flag:

http://wcclibya2004.com/news/f1/02.jpg

What country is that flag from?

"Chess One" writes:


Who knows? Maybe Michael is specifically identifying himself with English St
George and St Michael. Maybe the Libyans didn't have a proper Cornish flag,
the one with 15 golden pasties in a downward pointing triangle formation,
with a couple of rooks looking on.

Should you like to take a look at Michael's home town try this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/photos/falmouth/1.shtml
where there are 27 views. I think #20 shows a palm tree, the climate is the
mildest in Britain.

Almost excessively tropical in the short time I was there.

No view, alas, of one of Falmouth's greatest sights,
a pub with about 70 draught beers available.

My regrettably short stay there plus a perhaps exaggerated
concern for my health prevented me from sampling most
of them.

William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

Taylor Kingston wrote:
Great Britain, aka The United Kingdom

Great Britain and the United Kingdom are distinct. Great Britain is the
largest of the British Isles and does not include Northern Ireland; the
United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern Ireland] does.

For bonus marks, discuss the state of the Channel Islands and the Isle of
Man.


Dave.

--
David Richerby Incredible Poisonous Watch (TM):
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ it's like a precision chronometer but
it'll kill you in seconds and blow
your mind!

wrote:
No view, alas, of one of Falmouth's greatest sights, a pub with about
70 draught beers available.

My regrettably short stay there plus a perhaps exaggerated concern for
my health prevented me from sampling most of them.

Half pints and tasting friends' beers is the way forward -- it's quite
feasible to try twenty-odd beers in an evening without drinking more than
about four or five pints.


Dave.

--
David Richerby Portable Dictator (TM): it's like a
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ totalitarian leader but you can take
it anywhere!

wrote in message
...
"Chess One" writes:

Should you like to take a look at Michael's home town try this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/photos/falmouth/1.shtml
where there are 27 views. I think #20 shows a palm tree, the climate is
the
mildest in Britain.

Almost excessively tropical in the short time I was there.

No view, alas, of one of Falmouth's greatest sights,
a pub with about 70 draught beers available.

I think I mentioned Nick Cummings in the other post. Excellent tour guide!
The only person I know who actually improved his rating after the first
pint. Nick sober was grumpy and lethargic. Nick well-oiled wanted a fight!
[chess that is, although I believe he used to bully young Michael and
threaten to throw him into the harbor. I don't mind saying this about him
because the sod stole my Sokolski book 33 years ago, the white and pink
covered one.]

The Blue Anchor at Helston, about 12 miles due West was one of only 5 pubs
in the UK brewing Spingo back in the sixties - it was extraordinarily
strong, and very dark, with what can only be described as 'litter' in it,
like leaf fragments, only more sinistre. Two pints of that had you either
singing or passed out.

I think it must have been approaching the alcohol limit for beer - and was
maybe 14% alcohol. I think the theoretical maximum is 17%.

My regrettably short stay there plus a perhaps exaggerated
concern for my health prevented me from sampling most
of them.

There is a 'thing' on the central ridge of Falmouth town which I don't know
the name of. Its built on the lighthouse model; you climb a tower into the
top chamber where there are 360 degree views clear of all surrounding
rooftops, and windows as if you were in a lighthouse, and there you find set
into the ceiling, an array of angled mirrors at approx 45 degrees. The
centre of the room is a glass table, and the effect of looking at the table
is to view the entire surroundings.

The structure probably has a proper name, and my guess is that its
mid-Victorian, a panoramicon?

Cordially, Phil

William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

David Richerby writes:

wrote:
No view, alas, of one of Falmouth's greatest sights, a pub with about
70 draught beers available.

My regrettably short stay there plus a perhaps exaggerated concern for
my health prevented me from sampling most of them.

Half pints and tasting friends' beers is the way forward -- it's quite
feasible to try twenty-odd beers in an evening without drinking more than
about four or five pints.

I have a better plan - to go back and live there for a few
months.

Though I have had some trouble putting this plan into place.

And Phil is giving me the impression that I'll have to
raise my chess strength a class or two to get any street
cred in Cornwall.


William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University