(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Tim Spanton]

Tim, would you personally be happy to see chess congresses return to England every weekend in the style of say the Czech Tour - kind of business as usual with handshakes and all? People just make their minds up if they love chess so much and it’s worth the risk.

Absolutely

[Tim Spanton]

Well it is also possible to drive irresponsibly in any kind of car as well as the sort you previously specified.

The basic and obvious point is that society does place restrictions on behaviour which does or is liable to endanger others, it doesn't just say everybody make up their own mind what to do, and it's a good thing too.

Not having covid-19 is not being a danger to anyone

[Matt Bridgeman]

Tim, would you personally be happy to see chess congresses return to England every weekend in the style of say the Czech Tour - kind of business as usual with handshakes and all? People just make their minds up if they love chess so much and it’s worth the risk.

Absolutely

Afterwards they could perhaps make a monument to all the fallen weekend grinders. A big marble king or something impressive!

[JustinHorton]

Not having covid-19 is not being a danger to anyone

Do we really, after months of this, have to explain that we do not know just by looking at people whether or not they have covid-19, that neither do they, and that you can transmit it before being aware that you have it.

[Tim Spanton]

Not having covid-19 is not being a danger to anyone

Do we really, after months of this, have to explain that we do not know just by looking at people whether or not they have covid-19, that neither do they, and that you can transmit it before being aware that you have it.

We also do not know just by looking whether someone is going to drive a car irresponsibly, but the response is not to ban everyone from driving at more than 10mph

[JustinHorton]

We also do not know just by looking whether someone is going to drive a car irresponsibly

Because the comparison here isn't "going to". It isn't even intent. It's that you can infect other people, while being infected yourself, just in the course of your normal every day activities, while being entirely unaware that you are infected yourself.

You want to say the hell with that, let me just do what I want and other people can look out for themselves. And that deeply sociopathic view is precisely why states are obliged to impose restrictions.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Isn't a better analogy when Jack Sears got to drive a car at 185mph legally on the M1 in 1964, and then they blooming well brought some rules in. Jack Sears feels your pain!

[Tim Spanton]

Isn't a better analogy when Jack Sears got to drive a car at 185mph legally on the M1 in 1964, and then they blooming well brought some rules in. Jack Sears feels your pain!

He should move to Germany.

From Wikipedia: More than half of the total length of the German autobahn network has no speed limit, about one third has a permanent limit, and the remaining parts have a temporary or conditional limit. Some cars with very powerful engines can reach speeds of well over 300 km/h (190 mph).

[NickFaulks]

Tim, would you personally be happy to see chess congresses return to England every weekend in the style of say the Czech Tour

You appear to believe that the Czech government has got everything wrong and ours has got everything right. To me, the evidence points the other way.

[Tim Spanton]

Tim, would you personally be happy to see chess congresses return to England every weekend in the style of say the Czech Tour

You appear to believe that the Czech government has got everything wrong and ours has got everything right. To me, the evidence points the other way.

You damn sociopath

[Matt Bridgeman]

Tim, would you personally be happy to see chess congresses return to England every weekend in the style of say the Czech Tour

You appear to believe that the Czech government has got everything wrong and ours has got everything right. To me, the evidence points the other way.

I don't think I mentioned the Czech government once. I do think it's a bit bonkers to have a chess event, which historically does attract quite a lot of international entries and then have next to no covid measures. It's just pure recklessness really.

[Roger de Coverly]

People just make their minds up if they love chess so much and it’s worth the risk.

The problem is that the Government or possibly the Civil Service have said "No".

The EBU appear to have accepted the suspension of Bridge and Bridge clubs and it would appear the ECF have done little to oppose a similar fate for over the board chess.

[Wadih Khoury]

That choosing the play chess over the board in the current climate is something of a moral choice. You’re doing something that might not just effect yourself but perhaps somebody else.

I can understand and even accept the economic argument, when it is justified.

However, I refute the moral aspect. If the risks are indeed too high for yourself and others to attend a chess tournament, then the moral approach is also NOT to go to hairdressers, restaurants and such. Otherwise, you are comparing the moral value of a haircut to the value of a chess game. If one morally accepts that going to the pub, to a high street store or a beautician is OK, then there is no argument to be made against a chess tournament.

The only arguments that can be made are the safety and economic ones.

Actually:

• a recent study suggests eating out is 2x-4x or more dangerous than taking a bus: https://www.livescience.com/restaurant- ... -risk.html
• in my opinion, a tournament is significantly safer than a restaurant: since airborne particles are the greatest danger, talking is an aggravating factor. How many minutes of discussions do you think occur in a chess tournament ("good luck", "I resign", "thank you" over 4 hours) versus a lively discussion with a good meal and a few pints? Also, a tournament can efficiently distance players in groups of two, in well aerated venues, while some pubs will just cram a very high density of patrons in order to stay economically viable. Tournaments can also mandate masks, which restaurants can't.

Now don't get me wrong, if the trend continues like it does over the next 10 days, I'll probably cancel the plan to go to Northamptonshire or any other OtB event. But I'll ALSO cancel plans to go to any other public venue and will safely hole up for the next couple of months.

[JustinHorton]

since airborne particles are the greatest danger, talking is an aggravating factor

Well, that and breathing

[Wadih Khoury]

since airborne particles are the greatest danger, talking is an aggravating factor

Well, that and breathing

My understanding, which may very well be flawed as I am not an epidemiologist, was that talking was a significantly bigger factor than breathing (more particles with more velocity ==> higher viral charge with higher spread).

But again, you are allowed to go in a single day for lunch and dinner to a restaurant, meeting 2x5 other members from different households around a single table, spend 3 hours each time while having a good time, laughing, raising your voice, enjoying life (which is great!).
But you can't play 2 games of chess in that same day, where you barely talk, face a 2x1 person for 3 hours and are likely to be with only 2 other people at the table (and in some tournaments there will be just you and your opponent). And both you and your opponent may even wear masks.
A chess tournament has much lower density, smaller bubbles, smaller bubble interactions, possible masks, significantly less vocal interactions (as long as people don't socialise too much outside the playing hall, but that is their personal responsibility). It can even apply more measures that a restaurant may not be able to do: one way system, hand gel everywhere, etc..