(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Neil Graham]

A comparison of the number of obituaries reported on this board in 2020 against those in 2019 indicates that chess player deaths have increased markedly since Covid19.

[NickFaulks]

Note there are more entries from England than from Slovakia ...

The Slovaks don't have to travel abroad, they are permitted to play in their own country.

Prague is in the Czech Republic not Slovakia.

That is why the Slovaks would have to travel abroad to go there, despite the historical connection of their countries.

[J T Melsom]

Neil Graham

No evidence of a causal link? - It may just be that people have more time to report deaths. Difficult to measure but although some well known figures have died I sense with more time some more local players have also been reported that might not otherwise have been the case.

[Alan Walton]

A comparison of the number of obituaries reported on this board in 2020 against those in 2019 indicates that chess player deaths have increased markedly since Covid19.

Kind of journalism the BBC have been doing recently; anything to mention Covid as a correlating factor, with or without any evidence

[J T Melsom]

The Slovaks don't have to travel abroad, they are permitted to play in their own country.

Prague is in the Czech Republic not Slovakia.

That is why the Slovaks would have to travel abroad to go there, despite the historical connection of their countries.

You may have meant to say that originally, but you actually said the opposite.

[NickFaulks]

Tim, do you understand what point this person thinks he is making? Do you even know who he is?

[Nick Grey]

We ought to track chess players ill too.

[J T Melsom]

Tim, do you understand what point this person thinks he is making? Do you even know who he is?

I was correcting the statement in your original post that the Slovaks didn't have to travel because it was their own country. Your response to my post agrees with me that the Slovaks do have to travel abroad for this event, so agrees with my correction.

I've reported the remainder of your post as the references to me are objectionable.

[NickFaulks]

Oh dear, now I've hurt his feelings.

[Paul Cooksey]

er, anyway...

I did understand the point Nick was making. I don't really get the point Tim is trying to make. Is it that, in his view, English players should be participating in higher numbers in European Opens, and this reflects poorly on us as a group?

For myself, I am considering playing outside England. There are tournaments in places I'd be happy to visit with lower covid19 risk than the UK. Biel or Prague for example. But the practicalities of air travel still putting me off for the time being.

[J T Melsom]

After re-reading the original post I now understand that you were making the point that chess is permitted in Slovakia and not England. I am still of the view that it would be better to have pointed out that there might be a misunderstanding rather than respond in the somewhat terse manner you chose.

[Tim Spanton]

er, anyway...

I did understand the point Nick was making. I don't really get the point Tim is trying to make. Is it that, in his view, English players should be participating in higher numbers in European Opens, and this reflects poorly on us as a group?

For myself, I am considering playing outside England. There are tournaments in places I'd be happy to visit with lower covid19 risk than the UK. Biel or Prague for example. But the practicalities of air travel still putting me off for the time being.

The point I was making was I found it surprising a tournament in Prague would attract more people from faraway England than nearby, and fomerly joined to, Slovakia.

But maybe Nick Faulks is right in that chess players in Slovakia can play OTB in their own country rather than having to go 'abroad' (although it would almost be like going from England to Scotland).

It may also be that chess players in Slovakia know how expensive Prague is compared with other places in the Czech Rep - eg I think there has always been a decent turnout of Slovaks at Olomouc

[Matt Bridgeman]

We’ve been to the Prague event a couple of times. Is that right Tim, are prices at the other Czech Tour events better value than in Prague? Perhaps Czech Tour and Irish events might get popular with English players if there’s nothing happening here in the new year.

[Tim Spanton]

We’ve been to the Prague event a couple of times. Is that right Tim, are prices at the other Czech Tour events better value than in Prague? Perhaps Czech Tour and Irish events might get popular with English players if there’s nothing happening here in the new year.

I haven't played in Prague before, but the venue hotel (4stars altho it has some bad reviews online) seems v reasonable:

double rooms, type „standard room“, four-star hotel facilities, price including breakfast and WiFi connection 50 EUR/room and night, if only 1 person occupies the room, 42 EUR/room and night is charged
triple rooms, type „standard room“, four-star hotel facilities, price including breakfast and WiFi connection 68 EUR/room and night

Was it at the Olympik Congress when you played there?

[Matt Bridgeman]

Yes both times. We stayed in an air bnb apartment within walking distance. I think the Olympic is actually two hotels about 100 metres apart. So I think most stay in one and play in the other. It’s a decent enough venue. Everyone plays in a big conference type room on the ground floor. Generally very well organised as they’ve had plenty of practice.