Torkil Nielsen

Torkil Nielsen
Personal information
Date of birth (1964-01-26) 26 January 1964
Place of birth Sandavágur, Faroe Islands
Playing position midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987-1993 SÍF Sandavágur 101 (49)
1994-1997 FS Vágar 63 (26)
1999-2001 FS Vágar 9 (4)
2003 FS Vágar 1 (0)
2007 FS Vágar 2004 3 (1)
National team
1988-1993 Faroe Islands 18 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Torkil Nielsen /ˈtʰɔɹ̥tʃɪl ˈnɪlsɛn/ (born 26 January 1964) is a former Faroese football midfielder. He is also one of the Faroe Islands' best chess players.

Club career

He played most of his career at SÍF Sandavágur and after they merged with MB Miðvágur he played with the club which was a result of the merger, FS Vágar. He was an active football player until 1997, after that he just played a few matches and played his last match in 2007, just before the club was re-established into 07 Vestur after a merger between FS Vágar 2004 and SÍ Sørvágur.

International career

Nielsen played in an August 1988 friendly match against Iceland, the country's first FIFA-recognized match. He scored the very first Faroese goal after FIFA recognition, in a game, which also turned out to be the first ever official victory for the Faroe Islands, winning 1-0 in a friendly over Canada in April 1989.

Torkil claimed his place in world football history for his goal in the 1992 European championship qualifying shock 1-0 defeat of Austria in September 1990, which also was the Faroe Islands' first competitive match. His final match was a June 1993 World Cup qualifying match against Czechoslovakia. He earned 18 caps, scoring 2 goals.[1]

International goals

Scores and results list Faroe Islands' goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 14 April 1989 Gundadalur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands  Canada 1-0 1-0 Friendly
2 12 September 1990 Idrottsparken, Landskrona, Sweden  Austria 1-0 1-0 Euro 1992 Qualifying

Chess career

During and after his football career, Torkil Nielsen plays chess with the club Sandavágs talvfelag.[2][3] He was three times individual champion of the Faroes, in 1984, 1986 and 1988 and participated as many times in Chess Olympiad as a member of Faroese chess national team - 1982 in Lucerne, Switzerland, 1984 and 1988, both in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Personal life

Two of Torkil Nielsen's sons, Rógvi (born 1992) and Høgni Egilstoft Nielsen (born 1997) are also football players as well as chess players, just like their father. His elder son, Rógvi Egilstoft Nielsen, is also a notable football and chess player. He is a defender for EB/Streymur football club and represented Faroes at U-19 level.[4] He became individual chess champion of the Faroes in 2012. He is rated 2334 at the World Chess Federation as of April 2016.[5] His younger son, Høgni Egilstoft Nielsen, was considered among the most promizing chess players of Scandinavia in his age group in 2014 he won the Faroese Chess Championship for adults at the age of 16, and became the youngest ever to win the championship. Høgni was also the first player ever who won all matches played in a Faroese Chess Championship.[6] Høgni also plays football as a defender for 07 Vestur and also played 10 national matches for the Faroe Islands national football team at U-17 level in 2013.[7] Høgni is rated 2295 at the World Chess Federation as of April 2016.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Faroe Islands - Record International Players - RSSSF
  2. ↑ Nielsen, Jóanis (31 December 2015). "Talv: Rógvi vann jólakappingina hjá Sandavágs Talvfelag" (in Faroese). jn.fo. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Hansen, Jóannes (19 March 2016). "Hans Kristian feldi Høgna" (in Faroese). in.fo. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Rógvi E. Nielsen" (in Faroese). Faroesoccer.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "FIDE Chess Profile". Ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Aktuelt.fo, Eitt umfar eftir – Høgni er yngsti FM-vinnarin nakrantíð
  7. ↑ "Høgni E. Nielsen" (in Faroese). Faroesoccer.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "FIDE Chess Profile". ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
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