(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[NickFaulks]

I do think their advice could be more nuanced.

My own response to SAGE's Christmas advice would be less nuanced. It would reference stuffing.

[John Moore]

SAGE has advice in favour of a family quiz at Christmas and avoiding board games, citing the risk from sharing pieces:

I do think their advice could be more nuanced. If you are unlucky enough to invite a Christmas guest with Covid, isn't being in the same house the major risk, with what you do a secondary effect of possibly reducing transmission risk? From that view, card games are a higher risk than chess, because you only really touch your own pieces whereas all cards are handled.

Roger, I usually touch my opponent's pieces when I take them!

[Tim Spanton]

SAGE has advice in favour of a family quiz at Christmas and avoiding board games, citing the risk from sharing pieces:

I do think their advice could be more nuanced. If you are unlucky enough to invite a Christmas guest with Covid, isn't being in the same house the major risk, with what you do a secondary effect of possibly reducing transmission risk? From that view, card games are a higher risk than chess, because you only really touch your own pieces whereas all cards are handled.

Roger, I usually touch my opponent's pieces when I take them!

On the other hand it would be less inconvenient wearing gloves while playing chess than while playing cards

[Simon Rogers]

Unless you play with the giant playing cards they sell in shops these days.
I remember buying a pack of playing cards with 52 Chess Openings, I can't remember if they were from Chess Direct or Chess and Bridge.
On a different note I have posted all the Deaths and Obituaries that I know of from the beginning of October 2019 until yesterday. I didn't expect there to be so many.
Thanks for your support and thanks to the forum members that added on links for me.

[Chris Rice]

I've just had a look at the obits section Simon and I'm shocked at the number of people who have died this year. Have to say a magnificent job done by you to list as many as you have. Thank you.

[Roger Lancaster]

I've just had a look at the obits section Simon and I'm shocked at the number of people who have died this year. Have to say a magnificent job done by you to list as many as you have. Thank you.

I was also surprised by the numbers but wondered whether, rather than being indicative of excess deaths this year, it demonstrated increased diligence in reporting them. Either way, it's good of Simon to keep us informed - depressing information though it is - and I'd like to express my thanks. I'll do my utmost to avoid personally adding to his work.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Given that older people are more at risk of the virus, and active chess players tend towards being in that group, a degree of excess mortality in 2020 would sadly not overly surprise.

[Wadih Khoury]

Given that older people are more at risk of the virus, and active chess players tend towards being in that group, a degree of excess mortality in 2020 would sadly not overly surprise.

I don't think there were any covid related deaths, or at least very few.

[Angus French]

Given that older people are more at risk of the virus, and active chess players tend towards being in that group, a degree of excess mortality in 2020 would sadly not overly surprise.

I don't think there were any covid related deaths, or at least very few.

I counted four cases in which Covid-19 was given as the cause of death and a fifth which gave Alzheimer's and Covid-19. In many instances the cause hasn't been given.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Even if direct virus related deaths are relatively few, it can certainly have had a negative impact in other ways.

[John McKenna]

There are two instances of "a victim of the Coronavirus outbreak".

[Simon Rogers]

Thanks for the kind messages.
I originally thought it was all down to excess deaths.
But as I delved deeper through the history of reporting, a lot of it comes down to communication up the chain.
A number of deaths are not reported from clubs to leagues, then fewer deaths are reported from Leagues to County Associations and then even fewer reported to the forum and ECF.
For example the Birmingham and District Chess League website has a list of Obituaries going back to 2015 on the Headlines page but quite a number from before 2019 have not been reported to the forum.
There are more deaths on various clubs websites in the West Midlands not reported to the Birmingham and District League.
The two deaths I reported from the Sheffield and District League last week from earlier this year were not reported on the Yorkshire Chess Association website.
It sounds terrible but I'm afraid I've already counted well over 250 deaths not reported to the forum over the last 10 years.
When clubs start to reopen and members catch up with each other I'm afraid there might be a large amount of Deaths suddenly reported.
There is a number of Leagues websites and a couple of County Associations websites not updated since the first lockdown in March.

[Mick Norris]

Good point Simon; we've only had an Obituaries section on the MCF website for a few months now, to make sure there is a permanent record

[Simon Rogers]

Good point Simon; we've only had an Obituaries section on the MCF website for a few months now, to make sure there is a permanent record

Thanks Mick. I've just had a look at the Obituaries section on the MCF. Good to see the reporting and the unsung heroes being remembered. I had a look at the links. They were a bit difficult to read because the links appeared in blue on a blue background.
I'm afraid I've noticed a Death from a few months ago not reported on the MCF website. Can I PM you with it? It might be better you reporting the death to the forum.
I'm afraid I have a death to report from the Isle of Wight.

[Neil Graham]

SAGE has advice in favour of a family quiz at Christmas and avoiding board games, citing the risk from sharing pieces:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55107473

In that case I'll provide a family quiz starting in December.

which is now available in the "Not Chess" section.