Sheffield & District Chess Association

Established 1883

 

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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.