What temperature / humidity is it too bad to play

[Kevin Thurlow]

"After complaints from players that 35C and a certain Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (which factors in humidity) were too high and not suitable for play, the organisers decided to increase the temperature from 35C to 40C, with a corresponding WBGT, so that play would be interrupted less often. It's reassuring to see player welfare at the heart of such decisions."

Yes again! It reminds me of Sir Andy Murray finishing a game at 3 am, to be told he was on court later that day. He declined and was criticised by the organiser...

On another occasion at work, I arrived to find the temperature was about 12 C (yes, I know, I always complain) and the Accommodation Officer turned up, waving a thermometer round his head and claiming it was ok. I advised him that he was incorrect and he probably couldn't spell science, but probably not in those words.

[Joey Stewart]

It just shows how half assed our "legal system" is when they think that extreme heat is fine but slightly cold and you have to shut up shop completely (the unofficial bank holidays we now have every time a light dusting of snow happens spring to mind). Worse when there is some whinging anorexic who constantly complains "ohhh its so cold, dont open any windows" while everyone else is dying of heatstroke.


But in chess terms, I think of the human brain working along the same lines as a computer - if you get them hot they slow right down and stop running altogether- I pretty much play no chess at all during the summer as I dont really want to sacrifice my rating points to scrubs when I cant think straight enough to beat them.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Hey Joey. I agree with what you say about the weather, but you shouldn't misappropriate the term anorexic the way you did, as anorexia is a serious medical condition and shouldn't be trivialised by using it that way.

[NickFaulks]

Someone on the radio has been explaining that the British railway system faces problems unknown elsewhere because we have extremes of both heat and cold. Where do they find these people?

Anyway, when all is said and done this is the English summer and we are presumably now heading quickly back to the chilly and damp norm. Excitement over.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Someone on the radio has been explaining that the British railway system faces problems unknown elsewhere because we have extremes of both heat and cold. Where do they find these people?"

Good point - for the most part we don't have extremes of heat and cold. Go to Switzerland in summer and you will see dozens of rail snow ploughs in marshalling yards, because they know they will have extensive snow drifts. We rarely have snow drifts...

[Mick Norris]

I caught a little of travel writer Simon Calder on Radio 5 live this morning; his basic point was that we don't have the extreme weather often enough to make it economic for the airports etc to plan for it

[Alex Holowczak]

I caught a little of travel writer Simon Calder on Radio 5 live this morning; his basic point was that we don't have the extreme weather often enough to make it economic for the airports etc to plan for it

If it happened often enough such that it should be planned for, then it wouldn't be "extreme" anymore, would it?