(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Nick Grey]

Personally I would like to see all leagues, cups, county matches and 2019-20 4NCL completed before the British. HOPEFULLY no clubs close. HOPEFULLY all venues open. HOPEFULLY all grading goes smoothly.

[NickFaulks]

HOPEFULLY no clubs close. HOPEFULLY all venues open. HOPEFULLY all grading goes smoothly.

I see no reason why you won't get your third wish.

[MartinCarpenter]

Very unlikely to get the second - there'll be a fair few marginal venues who have shut for good, or at least until some brave soul tries to reopen them.

For instance, York have lost the RI in York. Sold back to Network rail.

That had, to be honest, been coming for a while - its bang in the city center and only ever saw fairly marginal use - but all of this tipped it over. I guess we'll have to change our name
(And find a new venue, which won't be at all easy in central York!)

[Mick Norris]

Prague festival announced for 17 to 26 June 2021

[Tim Spanton]

In case lockdown does get removed as initially planned (one can hope), is there a list of confirmed events in Europe? Let's say from Dec 12th onwards?

I noticed a few events in France, but they are unconfirmed. There is Sitges in Spain. I noticed some cancelled ones in Switzerland. Any good ideas or plans?

Just received this from Sitges:

Fortunately, the situation in our area is way much better than it was in March or April. In October and early November we had more contagions as there were in summer, but the situation has been improving and they are now starting to lift some restrictions that we had. They announced that next Monday, on November 23rd, bars, restaurants and sport centers will open again (maybe with some restrictions still), which is almost the only thing that has been closed for about 4 weeks now. Anyway, no quarantine to enter Spain is mandatory (although maybe it’s just necessary to have a negative test before you travel, depending from the country you are coming from).

With regards to any amounts that are paid, the Organization decided that there will be no cancellation fees (and all amounts will be returned) if someone cannot attend the tournament because of Covid-19 related issues (such as not being able to travel because of bans or whatever). You can read the anti-Covid-19 measures’ protocol and the cancellation policy online in our website.

[Reg Clucas]

I'd definitely be somewhat wary of 'distorting' the winter league by finishing off several matches of it in summer.

Maybe best to use 'points per game' to decide these leagues, as was done in football by EFL divisions 1&2 and NL. But perhaps it's still too early to be discussing this.

[MartinCarpenter]

I'd definitely be somewhat wary of 'distorting' the winter league by finishing off several matches of it in summer.

Maybe best to use 'points per game' to decide these leagues, as was done in football by EFL divisions 1&2 and NL. But perhaps it's still too early to be discussing this.

That can get rather tricky when there's two teams doing very well.

The Yorkshire league had 3 weekends orphaned, Sheffield A on 8/8 (53/64 game points) and York A on 8/8 (48.5/64 game points). Sheffield B in third with 6/8 and 36.5/64. This won't be atypical.

You could reasonably schedule a title play off match, share the title, give it to Sheffield on the game point tie break or just wash the year out. I'd probably do the last for preference myself but I'm not very competitive!

The relegation position was still hugely open with 2 teams to go down from 4 or 5. No idea what to do with that. I guess that its far from impossible that there might be enough teams folded/weakened by September 2021 that promotion/relegation won't be as relevant as it might otherwise be?

[NickFaulks]

Just received this from Sitges:

Looks good, but UK citizens may not be allowed to leave this country.

[Tim Spanton]

Just received this from Sitges:

Looks good, but UK citizens may not be allowed to leave this country.

Yes, I emailed them back to explain the situation. I suspect, however, that the travel ban will be lifted from Dec 3 even if hospitality does not reopen in some areas.

[Wadih Khoury]

If all goes to plan, a lot of the country will go back to tier 1 lite, with some unlucky ones stuck in 3. I'd expect travel to resume normally, with some air corridors.
Keyword being "if".

[Matt Bridgeman]

If all goes to plan, a lot of the country will go back to tier 1 lite, with some unlucky ones stuck in 3. I'd expect travel to resume normally, with some air corridors.
Keyword being "if".

Who knows, but there seems to be some suggestion that only Tier 3 really works. The Tier structure may be toughened up at the end of lockdown. https://news.sky.com/story/tougher-covi ... s-12134227

[Tim Spanton]

If all goes to plan, a lot of the country will go back to tier 1 lite, with some unlucky ones stuck in 3. I'd expect travel to resume normally, with some air corridors.
Keyword being "if".

Who knows, but there seems to be some suggestion that only Tier 3 really works. The Tier structure may be toughened up at the end of lockdown. https://news.sky.com/story/tougher-covi ... s-12134227

It also seems that even if we do return to three tiers in England, each tier may be more restrictive than before, so I guess we will have to await details.

However, one exemption on self-isolating, for example, which I believe a lot of people did not realise at the time, is that you were allowed to leave home to travel for the purpose of leaving the country.

In other words, if, say, London were put in tier three, and the new tier three meant you had to stay at home, it might still be possible to leave home in order to leave the country, along with the better-known exemptions for exercise, essential shopping, collecting medicine, etc.

[Simon Rogers]

If all goes to plan, a lot of the country will go back to tier 1 lite, with some unlucky ones stuck in 3. I'd expect travel to resume normally, with some air corridors.
Keyword being "if".

Who knows, but there seems to be some suggestion that only Tier 3 really works. The Tier structure may be toughened up at the end of lockdown. https://news.sky.com/story/tougher-covi ... s-12134227

It also seems that even if we do return to three tiers in England, each tier may be more restrictive than before, so I guess we will have to await details.

However, one exemption on self-isolating, for example, which I believe a lot of people did not realise at the time, is that you were allowed to leave home to travel for the purpose of leaving the country.

In other words, if, say, London were put in tier three, and the new tier three meant you had to stay at home, it might still be possible to leave home in order to leave the country, along with the better-known exemptions for exercise, essential shopping, collecting medicine, etc.

There has been talk of a new Tier 4, like in Scotland. Infections appear to be dropping in parts of Lancashire, particularly on the Fylde coast. Sadly a Chess friend locally lost his uncle from Covid-19 in Blackpool Victoria Hospital a couple of weeks ago.
The travel corridors seem to be chopping and changing, so it might be worth checking other OTB tournaments in Europe not just the Czech Republic.
It was Bobby Ball's funeral today. Pictures on North West News showed people lined the streets of Lytham with an apparent lack of social distancing and a number not wearing masks. Lytham St Anne's has a high elderly population.

[Wadih Khoury]

I read that the government was actually considering the opposite, which is making the tiers less strict.
I will not comment whether it's a good idea or not, just that this is what they are looking at.

Robert Jenrick said ministers wanted to see a “significant easing” of coronavirus controls to have “a somewhat more normal December”, but that it was too early to say which tiers particular areas would move into.

[Simon Rogers]

From what I understand coming out of lockdown, there will be an easing of restrictions. But each tier will be stricter than before. So what was Tier 3+ will become part of Tier 4. Whether there will be a new Tier 0 like in Scotland, that I don't know.
On a different note, as far as I know, mercifully, I am up to date with the reporting of Deaths and Obituaries.
Although I have seen a huge number reported before October last year, on club and league websites but not on the forum.