'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

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TimWall

'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by TimWall » Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:27 am

An article published in the New Indian Express, 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs', highlights the effects of Covid on the 1,000+ Indian arbiter community.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities ... 24673.html

David Sedgwick
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by David Sedgwick » Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:23 pm

Thank you for the link, Tim. It is an interesting article.

Very few British arbiters are dependent on income from that source, but some have lost other sources of income as well. Only a select few have been invited to officiate at major online events.

In my case, I qualified for the state pension in November 2019. Had the pandemic struck before then rather than after, life would have been more difficult for me than it has been.

Paul Cooksey
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by Paul Cooksey » Sun Jul 04, 2021 2:21 pm

I suppose relatively few people in England had chess as their main income at the start of the pandemic. But probably a record number with some income from it, given the way independent coaches have replaced school chess clubs in the 21st century.

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MJMcCready
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by MJMcCready » Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:38 pm

Is there any community in India which hasn't been affected by Covid-19 in some way? Some of the news reports are rather harrowing. Even certain river banks are overloaded with bodies requiring cremation, which backlogs so huge they can't take on anymore bodies.

https://theconversation.com/indians-are ... ges-160076

If arbiters were unaffected by Covid -19, that really would be worth reporting on.
Last edited by MJMcCready on Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Simon Rogers
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by Simon Rogers » Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:45 pm

MJMcCready wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:38 pm
Is there any community in India which hasn't been affected by Covid-19 in some way? Some of the news reports are rather harrowing. Even certain river banks are overloaded with bodies requiring cremation, which backlogs so huge they can't take on anymore bodies.

If arbiters were unaffected by Covid -19, that really would be worth reporting on.
Ah. I'm afraid I have picked up some sad news about that

Roger de Coverly
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:52 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:23 pm
It is an interesting article.
What caught my eye was this quote
As there is no practical exposure, many of them have forgotten the rules and regulations to be followed in chess tournaments,’’ said Anantharam.

What might be these rules and regulations that arbiters forget after fifteen months of inactivity? The strange ways of pairing software could be amongst them, but surely they aren't going to forget that repetition applies to positions not moves.

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MJMcCready
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Re: 'Pandemic forces chess arbiters to take up odd jobs'

Post by MJMcCready » Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:00 pm

It's not good advertising, that's for sure.

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