25th 4ncl Congress!

Details of upcoming UK events, please provide working links if possible.
Matthew Turner
Posts: 3600
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 11:54 am

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Matthew Turner » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:18 pm

NickFaulks wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:15 pm
But deaths remain disappointingly low.
Do you think that the ignorance that you display in your posts is in large part due to a failure to examine the evidence?

NickFaulks
Posts: 8453
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 1:28 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:27 pm

Matthew Turner wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:18 pm
Do you think that the ignorance that you display in your posts is in large part due to a failure to examine the evidence?
No, I think the evidence is crystal clear. The damage done by the lockdown outweighs the damage done by the disease by a huge factor. One day ( though not until the guilty are safely away ) this will be quantified.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

David Sedgwick
Posts: 5249
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:56 pm
Location: Croydon

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:10 pm

NickFaulks wrote:
Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:27 pm
No, I think the evidence is crystal clear. The damage done by the lockdown outweighs the damage done by the disease by a huge factor. One day ( though not until the guilty are safely away ) this will be quantified.
In what sense? Are you suggesting that more people have died in the UK since the start of the pandemic than would have done in the absence of lockdowns? Or are you suggesting that the saving of life has come at too high a cost? Or something else?

User avatar
Paul Robert Jackson
Posts: 266
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:10 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Paul Robert Jackson » Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:43 am

Pity there is no List of Entries.
Paul Robert Jackson

Tim Spanton
Posts: 1205
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 11:35 am

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Tim Spanton » Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:39 am

Paul Robert Jackson wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:43 am
Pity there is no List of Entries.
It's bizarre. Normally the 4NCL site is very informative and fairly easy to navigate, but this congress appears to be being run on secret-squirrel lines (then again, perhaps the lack of information is just an unfortunate snafu).

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:16 pm

Tim Spanton wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:39 am
but this congress appears to be being run on secret-squirrel lines (then again, perhaps the lack of information is just an unfortunate snafu).
My guess would be that by reference to provisional hotel bookings with Guaranteed Events, the Congress is over-subscribed for the numbers allowed by the venue. They've already said that entry priority is being given to those who have pre-booked the hotel.

Matt Bridgeman
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:21 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Matt Bridgeman » Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:59 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:16 pm
Tim Spanton wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 10:39 am
but this congress appears to be being run on secret-squirrel lines (then again, perhaps the lack of information is just an unfortunate snafu).
My guess would be that by reference to provisional hotel bookings with Guaranteed Events, the Congress is over-subscribed for the numbers allowed by the venue. They've already said that entry priority is being given to those who have pre-booked the hotel.
I'm aware they had 130 priority places available, and after today (27th June), they were looking at opening up any remaining places to others. I'd imagine something might appear on the website soon.

Wadih Khoury
Posts: 604
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:14 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Wadih Khoury » Sun Jun 27, 2021 7:31 pm

If I understand well, they had to spend a bit of time trying to figure out how many of the hotel bookings were actually chess players, and hence how many places are available (e.g: a family of 4 books a room for the event. Is it actually one player and his family, or a family of players? Or anything in between)

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:14 pm

Those who have rooms allocated at the hotel have now received an entry link.

Sections will be allocated based on entries so as to maximise capacity, which is limited to 130 in separate rooms for each of the three sections.

Their interpretation of the "rule of six" appears that it's 65 independent pairs, lasting for the duration of the game. Most of the restrictions are what you might fear or expect, but I think that not collecting scoresheets for game input is a bit over the top.

Matt Bridgeman
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:21 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Matt Bridgeman » Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:32 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:14 pm
Those who have rooms allocated at the hotel have now received an entry link.

Sections will be allocated based on entries so as to maximise capacity, which is limited to 130 in separate rooms for each of the three sections.

Their interpretation of the "rule of six" appears that it's 65 independent pairs, lasting for the duration of the game. Most of the restrictions are what you might fear or expect, but I think that not collecting scoresheets for game input is a bit over the top.
12 days out from round 1. You have to wonder how high those case numbers are going to go? There's apparently thousands of cases not reported today rolling into tomorrow's figures due to some electronic glitch. Quite a few stories coming now, from people such as the journalist Andrew Marr, where people in their 50's with two jabs still getting very sick and right of the cusp of going to hospital, but just about getting through it.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/andr ... 42856.html

Wadih Khoury
Posts: 604
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:14 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Wadih Khoury » Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:45 pm

Matt Bridgeman wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:32 pm
Quite a few stories coming now, from people such as the journalist Andrew Marr, where people in their 50's with two jabs still getting very sick and right of the cusp of going hospital, but just about getting through it.
Not unexpected, as the vaccine is not a 100% protection. The goal is that the effects are lessened, pressure on hospitals reduced and deaths kept to a minimum (though unfortunately not zero). Same as for the flu. In the example you are mentioning, I'd say it's not a bad outcome: the person survived AND did not need to go to the hospital.

Without a crystal ball, I think we will need to add covid to the list of diseases we live with. I recall having 2 colleagues at 2 different companies having to get hospitalised for flu a few years ago and being a couple of days away from dying. They were in their early 40s.

For me the key test over the coming days is to check if the link between cases and hospitalisations stays dampened: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Matt Bridgeman
Posts: 1077
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2016 9:21 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Matt Bridgeman » Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:52 pm

Wadih Khoury wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:45 pm
Matt Bridgeman wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:32 pm
Quite a few stories coming now, from people such as the journalist Andrew Marr, where people in their 50's with two jabs still getting very sick and right of the cusp of going hospital, but just about getting through it.
Not unexpected, as the vaccine is not a 100% protection. The goal is that the effects are lessened, pressure on hospitals reduced and deaths kept to a minimum (though unfortunately not zero). Same as for the flu. In the example you are mentioning, I'd say it's not a bad outcome: the person survived AND did not need to go to the hospital.

Without a crystal ball, I think we will need to add covid to the list of diseases we live with. I recall having 2 colleagues at 2 different companies having to get hospitalised for flu a few years ago and being a couple of days away from dying. They were in their early 40s.

For me the key test over the coming days is to check if the link between cases and hospitalisations stays dampened: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
Contact tracing will remain a bug bear for some time if case rates remain high through the summer and into winter. My wife and daughter are halfway through a 10 day self-isolation stint for a trip on a train. If there is a field of 130 in the room at the 4NCL, would one person with Covid mean the entire field then gets contact traced and have to self-isolate? The national rate is 1 in 440 have Covid, although in the North West I think it's 1 in 150 and rising.

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:04 pm

Matt Bridgeman wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 8:52 pm
If there is a field of 130 in the room at the 4NCL, if there is one person with Covid would the entire field then get contact traced and have to self-isolate?
The announcements suggest there will be three rooms, one for each section. Also no bookstall, analysis room or displayed pairings. It's still a good question as to the personal risks though, not necessarily infection being a problem as zealous officialdom. There's no track and trace for visiting shops and supermarkets though.

J T Melsom
Posts: 1294
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 11:12 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by J T Melsom » Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:33 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:04 pm
There's no track and trace for visiting shops and supermarkets though.
[/quote]

There are a number of venues that do give the customer the option of voluntarily checking in by means of QR code. This is certainly true of several charity shops locally.

Wadih Khoury
Posts: 604
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:14 pm

Re: 25th 4ncl Congress!

Post by Wadih Khoury » Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:51 am

The answer is probably staring at my face but I can't seem to find it: what is the time control for the congress? Is it 60+30 or 90+30?