THE RETURN OF OTB CHESS IN 2022?

With the Government's long-awaited easing of COVID restrictions from March 29, the return of over the board chess is imminent. Many have been eagerly practicing online for the last 2 years, honing their skills in preparation to play FIDE-rated events which can materialise with more people in venues that can take up to 75% of their capacity. As the country moves into endemic mode, we should see the normalising of over the board chess activity as the goal to rejuvenate the once-vibrant chess scene, from the Asia Square meetups to the QCD Adults League and other similar initiatives.

Though I do not envisiage the return of the full scale National Schools' event such as the one above, 75% of the above Sports Hall is achievable with masks on for participants. Certainly the yearning for the National Schools' Teams and National Age Group to be played in such venues is there - but of course we may have to seek the cooperation of parents who would have to play their part in dropping their kids off rather than camp out in the venue (which is not feasible under capacity rules).

The daunting task of managing such events falls then squarely on the available manpower - the exercise may require at least 8 to 10 arbiters over a minimal 4 day period (if we are to spread the categories out to stay within the capacity limit).

As for the CCs, the numbers will be trimmed to perhaps 140 from the usual 200 players one normally gets at the FIDE-rated events such as the SG City or SG Amateur. This is still managable in my opinion.

It would be really sad if OTB chess can only be relegated to a few weekly run events in small venues. The sooner we return to over-the-board activity, the sooner we do away with the fair-play rules that haunt the online game-scene.

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