(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Nick Ivell]

Same principle. I've been playing chess for 50 years.

Wearing a Perspex? Not my scene.

I'll wear a mask for shopping, but I hate shopping, so it's not the same thing.

[Nick Burrows]

Have you tried a Perspex face shield not as good but better than nothing in offering some protection

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... oronavirus

[Stewart Reuben]

Paul >Have you tried a Perspex face shield not as good but better than nothing in offering some protection<

I have done so , though not at chess events. A face shield is much less unpleasant. I have seen no comment regarding relative efficacy.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

I believe the next decision point (with better data) is today. The media are pushing stories about a two week (yeah right) circuit breaker, either in the next week or after Christmas. Johnson has announced restrictions on a Saturday before, so it depends on the mood in Government and if the PM feels lucky with his Backbenchers.

Fingers cross our Monday night impromptu chess club can go ahead. I am looking rather heavily at online options again and using ECF online once we have to shut.

Luckily our chess club, Poulton-le-Fylde, is still going ahead tomorrow. 16 there last Monday, including 4 from Lytham St.Annes Chess Club who were beaten by our second team.
Most members are still keen to meet tomorrow to play club games and exchange Christmas cards.

Holmfirth will meeting tomorrow and every Wednesday unless we legally have to close. Great to see Poulton-le-fylde and other going strong.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I am not frightened of Covid. I am merely pointing out that masks are likely to be recommended for years to come.

In which case, count me out.

Not if it does become no worse than the flu.

[NickFaulks]

Not if it does become no worse than the flu.

I hope you are right, but we are in the grip of the sort of people who don't let go easily.

[Angus French]

Not if it does become no worse than the flu.

I hope you are right, but we are in the grip of the sort of people who don't let go easily.

I don't know which "sort of people" you're referring to and on what grounds. But, COVID-19 is given as a cause of death on more than 170,000 UK death certificates (UK Govt source) and, at the last count (ONS source), there were an estimated 439,000 people resident in the UK experiencing Long COVID symptoms a year or longer after a probable or confirmed infection. There's also the impact on the NHS and its staff to consider - plus those awaiting elective surgery.

[Simon Rogers]

I believe the next decision point (with better data) is today. The media are pushing stories about a two week (yeah right) circuit breaker, either in the next week or after Christmas. Johnson has announced restrictions on a Saturday before, so it depends on the mood in Government and if the PM feels lucky with his Backbenchers.

Fingers cross our Monday night impromptu chess club can go ahead. I am looking rather heavily at online options again and using ECF online once we have to shut.

Luckily our chess club, Poulton-le-Fylde, is still going ahead tomorrow. 16 there last Monday, including 4 from Lytham St.Annes Chess Club who were beaten by our second team.
Most members are still keen to meet tomorrow to play club games and exchange Christmas cards.

Holmfirth will meeting tomorrow and every Wednesday unless we legally have to close. Great to see Poulton-le-fylde and other going strong.

Thanks Stephen.
We have gained 10 new members since reopening at the end of August.
I believe Lytham St.Annes have gained about 6, including a promising 10 year old who taught himself during lockdown. He has beaten some of the established players there and has played his first league match.
I believe club nights are also very busy at Preston Chess Club with at least half a dozen new players. Martyn Hamer is their new board 1.
Leyland has reopened successfully and is winning games.
So overall the Blackpool & Fylde League has had a great first half of the season.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Martyn is a great bloke. Smashed me over the board last time we played at Todmorden.

[MartinCarpenter]

Martyn is a great bloke. Smashed me over the board last time we played at Todmorden.

He is My Uni team captain from quite a while ago now!

The situation with imminent restrictions continues to seem awfully messy. I guess at this point its getting likely going to run through to post Xmas, then a good chance that it really will require a major lock down.

[Tim Spanton]

Martyn is a great bloke. Smashed me over the board last time we played at Todmorden.

He is My Uni team captain from quite a while ago now!

The situation with imminent restrictions continues to seem awfully messy. I guess at this point its getting likely going to run through to post Xmas, then a good chance that it really will require a major lock down.

I think a lockdown is very unlikely, but more tournament organisers acting as if there is one much more likely

[Neil Graham]

I now wonder about the 4NCL team event 15th/16th Jan in the south there are 34 teams min 136 players gathering . we can only wait and see the numbers by then .

I am anticipating a general lockdown after Christmas in England (December 29th has been mentioned) and the cancellation of 4NCL in January.

We received notifications from Alex H after Rounds 1 & 2 in Division 3 Central of two positive COVID tests. These came on the Monday & Tuesday immediately following play at the weekend and were for two players from different teams. I have no idea if further positive tests for either their team members or opponents followed. Bearing in mind this was pre-Omicron the prospects are not hopeful.

[Tim Spanton]

Heresy at the BBC:

Trust the public instead of lockdowns, professor says
An epidemiologist and practising GP says the UK government should trust people to manage their own Covid risk rather than impose further lockdowns.
Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre of Evidence Based Medicine in Oxford, says all ministers see is the worst case scenario when looking at modelling.
Speaking to the BBC this morning, he says the number of people testing positive has gone up by about 50% in a week rather than doubling every day.
The number of patients that were admitted to hospital, he adds, "hardly changed over a week" – up 8% - and yesterday deaths went down.
“If you focus on the information that matters you come up with a very different scenario,” he says.
People should be treated like adults as they can be trusted to manage their own risks and moderate their behaviour accordingly, Heneghan argues.

[MartinCarpenter]

All true, of course, but some of that is quite amazingly disingenuous.

Having said that, trusting the public is broadly what UK Gov are doing. The issues with needing/wanting to formalise things are more around businesses.

[Angus French]

Heresy at the BBC:

Trust the public instead of lockdowns, professor says
An epidemiologist and practising GP says the UK government should trust people to manage their own Covid risk rather than impose further lockdowns.
Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre of Evidence Based Medicine in Oxford, says all ministers see is the worst case scenario when looking at modelling.
Speaking to the BBC this morning, he says the number of people testing positive has gone up by about 50% in a week rather than doubling every day.
The number of patients that were admitted to hospital, he adds, "hardly changed over a week" – up 8% - and yesterday deaths went down.
“If you focus on the information that matters you come up with a very different scenario,” he says.
People should be treated like adults as they can be trusted to manage their own risks and moderate their behaviour accordingly, Heneghan argues.

... which is utter bo**ocks. Re the doubling periods: he's not taken into account that a large number of cases are Delta; he's, in effect, assumed everything is Omicron. Re hospitalisations and deaths: these are indicators with significant lags (e.g. typically there has been a lag of 7-10 days from infection to hospitalisation); hospitalisations and deaths will, unfortunately, likely increase significantly from their current levels.