"Chess One" writes:


When Leopold Infeld lived in Toronto he prayed to be allowed
to die on Friday (since he didn't want to live through
another boring torontian weekend). Things have changed a lot
in this respect though since his days.

There is someone here who says that the trono cc has moved, but still has a
strongish player resident, about 2350.

Just in case anyone is heading the

The "Chess Corner" is no longer at a corner(1), but is about
1/4 mile east of Yonge on Queen street, just past a hospital.
The chess tables are on the property of a large church (United
church?) on the north side of Queen. It's not easy to miss.

As far as I can tell there are no resident "professionals"
any longer, and nobody plays for money. Assuming fair
weather someone should be there from about two until
midnight or later. The backgammon crowd plays on the
tables at city hall, the light there being adequate
for BG but not for chess, I'm told.

Most players seem to me to be 1700 or below, aside from the
above exception. I do tend to underestimate speed ratings
by about 200 points, though.

(1) They were kicked off by "Sam the Record man", or rather
by his sons who run the business. For a long time I was a
frequent Sam's customer (among other things, when visiting
the corner I often dropped into Sam's to pick up a couple-ten
CDs) but I take all my business to other stores now. The
corner has been replaced by an outdoor cafe. I've never
seen more than three customers there at one time.


William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

Somewhere at great distance to the West is another city, say as far as
Munster is from Münster, called Trono.

Or Tranna, T.O., etc. Like many other mythical places
the variety of names is a giveaway.

There is a Newfoundler (?) living around the corner who lived there, and he
says Tra-O, as far as I can tell. But it sounds different every time.

I have met people who claim to have
been there, and say the natives all wear 'turtlenecks', but they always
smirk when telling the story.

Rumor has it they always play 1g3 or 1... g6. Even when
playing go.

How Suttle. Talking of go, I would like to refer your attention to the
matter of Mr. R. Laudenum.

La vâche du jour! Phil

William Hyde
EOS Department
Duke University

Taylor Kingston wrote:

michael adams wrote in message ...

Talking to yourself is a sure sign of mental illness, Neitsche had it
(syphilis I mean) - pls. seek help.

His name was Nietzsche, not "Neitsche." Friedrich Nietzsche,
1844-1900, German philosopher, not only frequently misspelled, but
widely misunderstood.

Taylor Kingston

That was supposed to be a joke - actually I do know how to spell Fred's
name correct but I suspect that won't matter one whit to a pompous,
nit-picking jackass such as yourself. Thanks again Tailor..

"Roman M. Parparov" wrote in message
...
Taylor Kingston wrote:
(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.

Taylor Kingston may be interested in looking at two other flags,
the Commonwealth Jack (1649) and the Protectorate Jack (1658).

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

In all the sports British have each of the Jack countries presented by
a separate federation (football, rugby etc.) each such country
representative plays under their own country flag. For example, former
snooker champion Mark Williams plays under the Red Dragon flag of Wales,
while seven-time champion Stephen Hendry plays under the Scottish St. Andrew
Cross flag. I understand that the Red Dragon of Wales is not reflected in
the national UK flag.

Yes, in 1536, Wales joined England in the Kingdom of England and Wales.

If there's a game between a Welshman and an Englishman in the Sicilian Defence,
Dragon Variation, then at what point could Black's castled position be
described as 'Harlech'? :-) pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad

--Nick

"Yves Surmont" wrote:
Indeed, Great Britain is just the island with England, Wales & Scotland,
the UK = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

Yes, that equation has been true since 1922, but it has not always been so.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain was established by the Act of Union in 1707,
which joined the Kingdom of England and Wales with the Kingdom of Scotland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established in 1801 by
joining the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was established in
1922 by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the Irish Free State (later
to become the Republic of Ireland).

If the Irish nationalists prevail ("Tiocfaidh ar La"), then someday there
may again be a United Kingdom of Great Britain (sans Northern Ireland).

"There is something exquisitely inappropriate in the fact that the act
embodying the fundamental constitutional treaty between England and Scotland
was given the same weight on the agenda as an act for trying to stop the
escape of convicts, and another for mending the road between the villages of
Hockliffe and Woodborne."
--Norman Davies (The Isles: A History, p. 626)

--Nick

michael adams wrote in message ...

I suspect that won't matter one whit to a pompous, nit-picking
jackass such as yourself. Thanks again Tailor..

Ah, personal insult -- the highest form of rhetoric. I stand
humbled, chastened, and awed.

TK

Taylor Kingston wrote:

michael adams wrote in message ...

I suspect that won't matter one whit to a pompous, nit-picking
jackass such as yourself. Thanks again Tailor..

Ah, personal insult -- the highest form of rhetoric. I stand
humbled, chastened, and awed.

TK

Good, you have now lived..

chapman Billy wrote:
David Richerby wrote:
For bonus marks, discuss the state of the Channel Islands and the Isle
of Man.

Splutter, splutter; Guernsey and Jersey, both in the Channel Islands,
are distinct entities.

I meant state as in status rather than state as in country. But, here,
have a bonus mark anyway. :-)


Dave.

--
David Richerby Metal Sword (TM): it's like a
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ razor-sharp blade that's made of
steel!

Nick wrote:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain was established by the Act of Union
in 1707, which joined the Kingdom of England and Wales with the Kingdom
of Scotland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established in 1801
by joining the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of
Ireland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was established
in 1922 by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the Irish Free State
(later to become the Republic of Ireland).

Actually, I think the full expansion of UK was `The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland' until 1928, even though what is now the
Republic of Ireland became independent rather earlier than that.


Dave.

--
David Richerby Frozen Mentholated Ghost (TM): it's
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ like a haunting spirit but it's
invigorating and frozen in a block
of ice!

David Richerby wrote:
Nick wrote:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain was established by the Act of Union
in 1707, which joined the Kingdom of England and Wales with the Kingdom
of Scotland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established in 1801
by joining the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of
Ireland.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was established
in 1922 by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the Irish Free State
(later to become the Republic of Ireland).

Actually, I think the full expansion of UK was `The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland' until 1928, even though what is now the
Republic of Ireland became independent rather earlier than that.

To his credit, David Richerby has noticed that one of my earlier statements
was imprecise because I did not attempt to spell out the details.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921 in London by
representatives of the British government and Irish envoys plenipotentiary
(such as Michael Collins). The Irish Free State (Saorstat Eireann) came
into being (after the deaths of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith) in
December 1922 (during the Irish Civil War). The Irish Free State was
renamed as 'Eire' by the 1937 Irish Constitution. According to the Republic
of Ireland Act of 1948 (which came into effect on 18 April 1949), the
official *description*--though, strictly speaking, not the official *name*--
of the State then became the 'Republic of Ireland'. As far as I know,
Dublin has accepted diplomatic credentials addressed to 'Ireland' or the
'Republic of Ireland', but not to the 'Irish Republic'.

The Irish Free State was a self-governing Dominion, which evidently had
at least a formal distinction from being a completely independent country.
The 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland' remained in existence,
at least as an official name, until 1927 before being renamed as the
'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.

--Nick