Covid-19 - Suspend Chess Immediately

[David Robertson]

We have taken the decision today to suspend the Leamington and District Chess League indefinitely. This was not a decision we took lightly, but equally it was not particularly difficult either.

Well done! You've done the right thing. You've not equivocated. You've shown leadership. Let others follow you

[Chris Goodall]

I guess we'll just have our regular club night with 20 people instead of a league night with 25, then.

Seems to confirm Stupid-19 is running wild in Newcastle

Sarcasm, you utter helmet.

[Matt Bridgeman]

The French are heading into full lock-down. Interestingly they have over 300 people in intensive care, half of whom are actually under 60 years of age.

[Chris Goodall]

I think we should cut the ECF some slack. They’ve given advice and it is for leagues to assess this, while also taking on board the views of their clubs and members and with an eye to everything else that is unfolding very quickly at the moment. We have taken the decision today to suspend the Leamington and District Chess League indefinitely. This was not a decision we took lightly, but equally it was not particularly difficult either.

That's great, if your league organisers are prepared to tell a court why they ignored the "suggestion" of the national governing body. In practice, this is a guillotine, and they know that. "It is for individual leagues to decide" is meaningless.

[David Robertson]

Sarcasm, you utter helmet

Impossible to distinguish from your standard drivel

And since you contribute nothing useful or intelligent or informed to this thread, but seem singularly attracted to snark, regard this as my final exchange

[Chris Goodall]

Sarcasm, you utter helmet

Impossible to distinguish from your standard drivel

And since you contribute nothing useful or intelligent or informed to this thread, but seem singularly attracted to snark, regard this as my final exchange

Harrumph to you too, but I count 4 times I fact-checked you and you sulked and changed the subject. Even Captain Piffwibble called you a walrus.

[Chris Fegan]

I very rarely post on here and for reasons that I think people are generally aware of it but this situation re Covid-19 is exceptional.

My view for what it is worth is that English chess has a lot of active participants in the "at risk" age demographic and that includes myself as an "active" chess player.

I tend to agree with David R in this matter and although neither the ECF Council nor the ECF Board have the power to stop people playing chess,(we are not the UK Government), I for one will not be planning to play any over the board chess for some considerable and unknown time to come.

I do have a view that the ECF needs to discourage situations where people at particular risk from this pandemic through age or any other reason are put at even more risk and therefore from a personal perspective I would vote to stop ECF controlled/organised activity and that includes the forthcoming ECF Council meeting and English Seniors Championship both of which are due to be held in April/May and probably also the 2020 British Championships due to be held in Torquay in July.

As the ECF Director of Womens Chess, I am actively considering what to do about the 2020 English Womens Championship but that event is not scheduled until the very late summer so is a little bit more complicated in terms of the known/unknowns that we are all trying to deal with.

I would stress that this is my personal viewpoint only and is probably a controversial position but I feel that I should make it public here as the situation is so critical and I fully accept that my position may or may not be shared by other ECF Directors and I have not spoken to any other colleague as I have only this evening returned from a period overseas during which the UK Covid-19 situation has changed dramatically on a day by day basis.

The ECF Board are due to meet next week and I am not sure that this should even be held "face to face" (most Board members and attendees are in the at risk age demographic) but indeed the meeting should be held by SKYPE or some other "digital system" if it is held at all.

I have probably gone out on a limb on this one but that probably won't be the first time-keep calm but keep safe.

Bet wishes to all

Chris

[MartinCarpenter]

(for an initial period of 3 weeks)

I am told the Warrington League has suspended for 5 weeks; I'm not seeing that in 5 weeks time things are going to be better than now, whereas it is possible that clubs could choose to play matches at the moment

It's just about possible?! Full lock down in 1 weeks time, then maybe coming out of it 4 weeks after that.

Obviously it's more likely to be a few weeks longer than that, likely both to start & finish lock down.

[Roger Lancaster]

Sarcasm, you utter helmet

Impossible to distinguish from your standard drivel

And since you contribute nothing useful or intelligent or informed to this thread, but seem singularly attracted to snark, regard this as my final exchange

Harrumph to you too, but I count 4 times I fact-checked you and you sulked and changed the subject. Even Captain Piffwibble called you a walrus.

Always gratifying to find old-world courtesies being scrupulously observed by all concerned.

[Daniel Gormally]

Yeah I think they could cancel the British, unfortunately. Most likely the Scottish championships will go too. A shame for me and others if this happens but there are more important things in life. Hopefully I'm wrong and this thing blows out but all the experts are saying that it won't and they must know something. Also you can't leave it until the last moment to cancel as people will be making plans. But also don't rush a decision, that's my advice.

At the end of the day if people are saying you are overreacting, you can remind them that we are just playing chess, after all.

The chess olympiad, as well as the normal olympics also has to be considered doubtful.

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussio ... -on-flu/p4

reading some of the above stories is pretty scary. And corona is 4-8 times as strong as normal flu apparently. I'm not looking forward to getting it. Not at all.

[David Robertson]

Always gratifying to find old-world courtesies being scrupulously observed by all concerned

Dante reserved the 8th Circle of Hell for the smug bystander

[Roger Lancaster]

Always gratifying to find old-world courtesies being scrupulously observed by all concerned

Dante reserved the 8th Circle of Hell for the smug bystander

There you go again, David, with the word "smug". "Appalled" would have been more to the point.

[Adam Raoof]

Yeah I think they could cancel the British, unfortunately. Most likely the Scottish championships will go too. A shame for me and others if this happens but there are more important things in life. Hopefully I'm wrong and this thing blows out but all the experts are saying that it won't and they must know something. Also you can't leave it until the last moment to cancel as people will be making plans. But also don't rush a decision, that's my advice.

At the end of the day if people are saying you are overreacting, you can remind them that we are just playing chess, after all.

The chess olympiad, as well as the normal olympics also has to be considered doubtful.

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussio ... -on-flu/p4

reading some of the above stories is pretty scary. And corona is 4-8 times as strong as normal flu apparently. I'm not looking forward to getting it. Not at all.

Cancel the British?!

[David Robertson]

"Appalled" would have been more to the point

I think Dante had that as "pearl-clutcher"

[Matt Mackenzie]

Even the pessimistic predictions seem to think this will be under some sort of control by July/August.

But I agree the unpredictability and uncertainty hardly help forward planning.