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06/02/2021
last updated 25/06/2021
then again 16/01/2022
then again 21/09/2022
Over-the-board
chess organised by the S&DCA was halted in March 2020, as a result of
the developing Covid virus epidemic. At that point the winter League
competition was only about 75% complete, and the individual championship
was also incomplete. The team knock-out competitions (Richardson and
Haystead Cups) had, however, been completed.
The
final positions in the league were notionally calculated, rather than left
as unfinished, though the individual championships were left unfinished.
The
Summer League was cancelled.
There was
no Annual General Meeting, nor was there, of course, the usual Fixture
Meeting to launch the new season. However, existing officials agreed
to continue in post, albeit with the odd hint or two of a desire to hand
over the baton when the opportunity arose.
Meanwhile,
the Executive was meeting via Zoom.
When it
became evident that even a late-started 2020-21 over-the-board chess season
has not going to be feasible, a relatively informal on-line team
competition was launched, which ran from December 2020 through to February
2021. Meanwhile, members of Rotherham Chess Club launched a series of
on-line individual competitions, which were thrown open to S&DCA
players, and later to players across Yorkshire.
A
second S&DCA on-line team competition started on 11/03/2021, and is due
to end 15/07/2021.
Meanwhile,
the Yorkshire Chess Association ran a three-round all-play-all on-line
competition between North, South, East and West Yorkshire teams.
Matches took place on 06/03/2021, 27/03/2021 and 10/04/2021, and South
Yorkshire were the winners.
Starting
on 25/04/2021, there have been a series of monthly outdoor over-the-board
individual all-play-all competitions between groups of 4 or 6 players,
organised by the General Secretary at pubs in the Kelham Island area of
Sheffield, and a Covid version of the traditional “Hope Valley” tournament
was organised on a similar basis to be held on 27/06/2021.
Thoughts
are being entertained of an AGM in September 2021, face-to-face or by Zoom,
when plans for a resumption of the normal over-the-board league with be
considered. Meanwhile clubs are being encouraged to take stock of
where they stand with regard to resumption of over-the-board Association
events.
Guessing
when over-the-board chess will be able to resume would, of course, be
wholly speculative, and, at the moment, autumn 2021 is the best one might
hope for, though that might be over-optimistic in view of ever-evolving
development in the pandemic.
16/01/2022
. .
In the
event, a 2021 AGM was shelved, consideration of resumption of OTB play was
delayed, and an on-line league running from September 2021 to February 2022
was launched. An Executive Meeting was scheduled for 27/01/2022 to
consider resuming over-the-board inter-team competition (probably in the
format along the lines of the Summer League) starting around March 2022.
21/09/2022
. .
An
early-starting o-t-b Summer League, running from March to July 2022 was
held and proved a success. “Normal” AGMs and Fixture Meeting were
held in September 2022, and a “normal” 2022-2023 season was launched.
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