Rules about drinking alcohol before or during matches

[matt_ward]

Hello Again, I am writing about another issue this time in which I believe to be a big problem at the lower levels of chess! I will have to be careful regarding this subject due to my lack of comprehension on the rules and what it states of "alcoholism". I don't know if there are any mandatory rules, regarding drinking alcohol any amount or any time whilst your game in is progress or beforehand both of which I am totally against.

I have seen problems ocur for example when people turn up to a match under the consumption of alcohol and it's quiet a distraction if you can smell it and in additon to this if they are making alot of noise! And if there is not any rules regarding this I think it should be forced in, And if people break the rules I think the following three actions should be taken!:

1. First warning to tell them it's not acceptable
2. Secondly they instantly lose the game.
3. They get a two week ban for the leagues they are playing in!

Regards Matt.

[Paul McKeown]

Isn't this taking the Puritanism a little far? Is wine alright, just not beer, or is it all drinks? What about apple juice? I beer breath in your general direction, burp, and sentence you to a lifetime of away matches against the Drunken Knights, with George Leyton on the next table.

[Paul McKeown]

Do you happen to own shares in a company that makes breathalyser kits? Ernie, what's the legals here?

[Alex Holowczak]

People would have said the same about smoking 30 years ago (presumably).

I always find the amount of alcohol consumed by players at chess matches staggering (no pun intended), particularly considering most of them drive to and from the venue. There's probably a genuine legal issue there.

[matt_ward]

Well I think smoking should be banned too, I must admit my opinions are somewhat strict but it's for the best within chess Paul I was indirectly implying that I have played drunken knights before! I think the long term benefits would be worth the expense of introducing these rules!

Regards Matt.

[Paul McKeown]

Matt,

I assume that you are Matthew J Ward; I guess you played against the DK's in their new Border League outing. I'll pass your comments on to some of the players concerned; I'm sure they don't need me acting on their behalf. Actually Ben P. and Peter A. occasionally contribute to this forum, you might direct any comments directly to them, if their behaviour, or that of their team mates has failed to meet their normally high standards.

Smoking is banned from chess - indeed it is banned from all public premises, so you should never be faced with problems caused by it. If you are, a polite request to take the cancer sticks outside should suffice.

Regards,
Paul.

P.S. I will make a few further comments later, but Philomena is shouting for the bottom of the stairs that I've got to go to the fishmongers, NOW!! Ta ta for now.

[Ben Purton]

I disagree and think it pathetic not to allow drinking.

Even at the European Club Cup in Feugen , whilst drinking was banned at the board due to it being a high level event(the only event in the world at the time to offer the 7 round norm).

Outside the playing hall was a beer van where you could drink during the game if you desired.

Note that you had like 40 of the worlds top 60 at this event.

If your opponent smells of beer? Most chess players smell worst than any player who plays for any of the Drunken Knight teams so I take offence at the suggestion that playing us is a particularly "dire" affair.

Drunken Knights put on a great spread and are well liked by the pubs they play in.

I would agree that if a player is heavily abusive without cause then this should be punished with a time penalty or such.

Making drinking and drugs not allowed in chess is making it more undesirable to play to the masses( a beer loving nation) and cannot be good for chess as a whole.

We are naive to think we deserve sports status, it would be great to get sports status from a fiscal point of view. But this is not a sport, its a mental test, its a board game.

Even WWE is more a sport than this.

Ben

[matt_ward]

Hi Ben, Yes I agree with you on one point which is chess is a "Mental" board game, it's not a sport purely because your not doing anything physical same with snooker, darts etc etc; it's a game. I however totally disagree drugs and alcohol do not help your chess, and therefore shouldn't be consumed, I admit it is slightly hypocritical as I use to drink alcohol before turning up to a match to calm my nerves down; but on the basis that chess is a mental game, and drugs and alcohol have a bad psychological effect on the human brain as research has found I can't find any benefits for this.

It is ludicrous to suggest that these two evils help you whilst playing there is no evidence to support your argument ben on this one. Seen you don't drink or smoke yourself I am slightly intrigued by your remarks. The majority of chess players would agree with me There is probably a very very very small amount of people that take drugs in chess; the only one's which would even be worth contemplating would be beater blockers

[Ben Purton]

I didnt suggest they help you, if anything they hinder so why should they be banned.

[Ben Purton]

You do realise that all diabetics will have to be registered and use certain forms of insulin.....if theres strict drug testing in place.

Alot of bodybuilders and athletes use it to gain weight and enhance there performance in certain stacking periods.

Chess has no drug which benefits you, only hinders , therefore they should not be banned.

Ben

[PaulTalbot]

The problem with a total ban on any alcohol would be felt very much at grass roots level. Many chess clubs meet and play in pubs and social clubs and are only allowed the free use of a room because the landlord knows that people will buy drinks. These clubs would very likely lose their venues.

[matt_ward]

This could be resolved ben, your not looking at the bigger picture they would have certificates for this and it wouldn't be an issue because all diabetics should be registered anyhow. And by the way congradulations on your Graduate Level 2 qualification.

Ben if you think 196 ECF is a patzer then what does it say about my chess! Also ben The fact body builders take them to stack up is totally irrelevant, because you have missed my point totally chess is not the same as body building and therefore drugs shouldn't be necessary. Although I must admit I have drunk before games, and it's why I am so against it; because I have had experience I have "been there and got the t- shirt"

Regards Matt.

[matt_ward]

Paul I appreciate your concern, I am not saying that, people can by drinks without needing to buy alcohol, I know this because I am a member of a chess club that is rented and it's a social cody club. I feel like people are deflecting my opinion. I am 18 years old, I don't smoke atall, and I am giving up alcohol. Chess shouldn't be played with alcohol it's not necessary to have fun by playing chess by drinking, what's wrong with having orange juice or something of that kind!

Matt.

[Anthony Taglione]

I grew up and had my formative chess years during a time when smoking was commonplace and there was an absolute expectation of being able to smoke during a chess match. Any attempts to raise the subject at an AGM were laughed into silence and quickly passed over.

It might seem that alcohol consumption is now in for its turn for grilling. As already noted above, chessplayers can be a filthy, slimy, bad-breathed bunch and one's only recourse to an objectionable opponent is to object to him; find some way to claim that he is wilfully causing a distraction.

During my formative years, a beer glass was as regularly seen beside a chessboard as was an ash-tray. I suggest that you learn to cope with other people's ways and means of relaxing and enjoying a pleasant game of chess until such time as public consumption of ethanol is also made illegal.

[David Lettington]

I disagree and think it pathetic not to allow drinking.

Why is it pathetic? If anything, I would say that it's pathetic to feel it necessary to drink alcohol in order to play a game of chess. I think it's important to bear in mind that chess should be open to everyone part to takeand having alcohol present is particularly discouraging to junior players and their parents could easily object.

Making drinking and drugs not allowed in chess is making it more undesirable to play to the masses( a beer loving nation) and cannot be good for chess as a whole.

I think this is completely wrong as having your opponent reek of alcohol and suffering from impaired judgement (not just on the chess board, but in terms of their general behaviour) can only be negative.

Clearly you can't legislate for people drinking before the game (unless they turn up completely drunk), but it's completely unnecessary to do it during the game.

There are appropriate times and places for drinking alcohol, but during a chess match is not one of them.