English Chess Forum

I never managed to visit Marston Road although Stafford Rangers were the last club to host Wycombe Wanderers before promotion to the Football League. Stafford finished sixth that season. Our last league match was a defeat at home to Macclesfield. Barrow were missing from the Conference that season, ...

Less need for boxing when the government is punching you in the head

I'm pretty confident that the ECF board will have been lobbying behind the scenes. There is also no reason why individual clubs and members should not do the same. I agree that the issues of mental health and coping mechanisms are important in this regard, but whilst all chess players will have ches...

It is the LDWA not the Ramblers that is recognised by Sport England. The LDWA as the name suggests organises long distance walks. They agree with the Ramblers that walks involving up to 30 are still permitted if the relevant risk assessment has been completed, but a walk organised unofficially by me...

Oh for the days when I was on your ignore-by-default list

You still are... I do check the posts sometimes in case there is something of value. Still waiting.

I don't think anybody other than Nick Faulks has described conditions at the Northumberland event as 'disgusting'. As you know perfectly well, I was referring to the wearing of masks. I consider them insanitary as well as uncomfortable and generally offensive. I realise that chess events held in th...

Tim Spanton I hope you also have a good trip to Pardubice. Does it not occur to you that part of the reason people haven't posted is the way that you have conducted the debate? There has been far too much 'chess must go on' and dismissing those who urge caution including criticising their mental hea...

I don't think anybody other than Nick Faulks has described conditions at the Northumberland event as 'disgusting'. Nor do I sense people wanting the event to fail. There is interest in how it will work and there are reasonable concerns about personal safety. But these are strange times and I may be ...

Sadly I think the rule of six makes it well nigh impossible to cover the hire charges for the venue. Our club event in recent years has had more participants than there are members of half the Bucks clubs. We could hold half the fixtures in alternate weeks but I think my treasurer would say it was d...

Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock do not know best, anymore than anyone here knows best. Let the 'experts' give advice and let citizens in a democracy decide what to do with that advice, as they do with advice on five portions of fruit a day, looking left-right-left when crossing a road, staying out o...

Wadih - I was really taking issue with those here that believe the public know best. as you rightly point out the public doesn't or wilfully neglects its responsibilities. There is a lot of debate here without real output. There seem to be at least two positive steps that might be taken. First the a...

I thought the latest government interventions were a consequence of people being unable to keep themselves safe, and giving the virus too much help in spreading. I've not been convinced by the strategy for much of the last six months, but restricting freedom where those freedoms have been abused doe...

Another photo from the recent Innsbruck tournament where they had a one way system going: Supermarkets have now largely abandoned one way systems. Why doesn't a give way to oncoming traffic approach work as seen on narrow bridges and traffic calmed roads? Also from road management, there's the conc...

I didn't realise that list existed. I've added a fair few references through the life of this thread. It probably is time for a separate thread.

quote is from page 94 in chapter 7 of the 2018 paperback edition published by Harper Collins. Book first published 2003

Val McDermid The Distant Echo
'Nothing he achieved had ever cut any ice here because it didn't fit the narrow confines of his parents'' aspirations. When he'd been crowned school chess champion, his father had harrumphed that he's have been better off joining the bridge team'