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08/03/2021
The Resumption of
Inter-Team (“League”) Chess
Personal
views
of the webmaster, ahead of the YCA President’s expected contribution:
Evidence
suggests there is an undertow of hesitancy on the part of a number of players
to contemplate resuming over-the-board chess in the foreseeable future, or
indeed to attend meetings, irrespective of whether inter-team chess becomes
legal.
Some
players are reluctant to return to over-the-board chess while Covid is still perceived
as a threat, albeit a low-level one.
Some
players will not return to over-the-board chess if/while wearing masks is
mandatory.
Some
players will not be prepared to provide lifts for fellow team members. Some
players will not be prepared to travel as a passenger in a car. Some players
will not be prepared to travel by public transport.
Those so
reluctant to resume over-the-board chess, could either give up playing chess
(mainly older ones), or switch to just on-line chess (mainly younger ones,
perhaps).
A few
of those so reluctant to resume over-the-board chess may have been team
captains, meaning new captains may need to be found.
Some
previous venues may have been closed down, necessitating finding a new venue.
It may
take time for all these things to be identified or resolved, making it
uncertain for a while what teams will re-enter leagues for winter season
2021-22.
This
all makes the timing of organisations’ annual general meetings perhaps better
delayed until August or even September, rather than June or July. This does
not so much affect those local leagues whose AGMs are normally held in
September, but makes things more difficult for the YCA, whose AGM is normally
held in June. The above reservations of players regarding resumption of
over-the-board play will also impact on the numbers likely to attend a
non-virtual AGM, reducing the already dicey chances of a quorum being achieved.
A similar problem in achieving a quorum would apply to the holding of a
virtual YCA AGM, as at least two of the most probable attenders of a
non-virtual AGM both lack the means to attend, say, a Zoom-held AGM.
Of
course, some clubs may be pleasantly surprised by an increase in new members
arising for one reason or another, such as the interest allegedly created by
the Queen’s Gambit film (of which the writer has no knowledge), or migration
of on-line players to over-the-board chess (which seems unlikely to occur to
a significant degree).
Steve Mann
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