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2020 Chess Olympiad Cancelled - What Next?

  • 24-03-2020 8:00pm
    #1
    spidersweb
    Registered Users Posts: 222 ✭✭


    https://www.chess.com/news/view/fide-postpones-chess-olympiad-to-2021

    Seems like things are going from bad to worse now. The actual Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed and like the virus, it feels like there is an infectious response and new cancel culture taking grip.

    Hard to know if such choices are premature or just good practice abiding by the cautionary principle, but while the Tokyo 2020 Olympiad was due in June and involved so many participants unable to prepare properly because of the ongoing crisis, in the case of the chess Olympiad which was not due to start until August, there are no issues for players being unable to prepare.

    Bearing in mind that China itself is starting to get back to normal and for example opening the Zoo in Bejing today, after three months, one wonders if a decision to hold off until June would not have been a better option.

    Impossible to know and maybe people think it just so much less hassle to cancel/postpone until 2021. If the Spanish flu and other pandemics from a hundred years ago is anything to go by, then the virus will come back in waves and could be with us for a lot longer (years) than just a shut down as we are experiencing now, which would not be sustainable or possible more than weeks or months.


Comments

  • #2
    RooksPawn
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭RooksPawn


    This could have a good result for Ireland actually.
    The ICU could (if the school venue is available) move the Irish Championships back to August, when it would have a better chance of actually happening? It was scheduled for July because of the FIDE Olympiad.


  • #3
    spidersweb
    Registered Users Posts: 222 ✭✭spidersweb


    RooksPawn wrote: »
    This could have a good result for Ireland actually.
    The ICU could (if the school venue is available) move the Irish Championships back to August, when it would have a better chance of actually happening? It was scheduled for July because of the FIDE Olympiad.

    Good idea. Ironic considering that the Irish ch was almost always held in July since it started over 100 years ago. Only in recent few years it was moved to August.

    Now moving it to August might be the best way to insure it happens? Be a real pity to lose the Irish ch addition to what we have already lost. Maybe we will have a clearer picture and more stable situation to judge from in May/June?

    Then again, chess may well be of so little importance in the face of other huge problems facing the country and society in the weeks/months ahead.

    Truly 2020 has already been awful.


  • #4
    Retd.LoyolaCpt
    Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    RooksPawn wrote: »
    This could have a good result for Ireland actually.
    The ICU could (if the school venue is available) move the Irish Championships back to August, when it would have a better chance of actually happening? It was scheduled for July because of the FIDE Olympiad.

    If the school is available, that's the plan. Will give us more time to see how this all pans out (and if a longer delay is needed). Should have an update once I hear from the school.


  • #5
    Joedryan
    Registered Users Posts: 479 ✭✭Joedryan


    Absolutely no chance of the Olympiad taking place, this whole thing wont be sorted until well into next year at the least. (In my opinion obviously)


  • #6
    spidersweb
    Registered Users Posts: 222 ✭✭spidersweb


    Joedryan wrote: »
    Absolutely no chance of the Olympiad taking place, this whole thing wont be sorted until well into next year at the least. (In my opinion obviously)

    It has indeed been postponed and will take place next year, also in August. However, who knows what tomorrow brings. Will the Irish ch still go ahead in August this year is now the next question. We will find out in due course. Things are very bad now in Spain and Italy but will that last?


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  • #7
    Joedryan
    Registered Users Posts: 479 ✭✭Joedryan


    spidersweb wrote: »
    It has indeed been postponed and will take place next year, also in August. However, who knows what tomorrow brings. Will the Irish ch still go ahead in August this year is now the next question. We will find out in due course. Things are very bad now in Spain and Italy but will that last?

    As I said above, I dont think events in 2020 are feasible, but thats my own personal view based on what I have read and researched. Nobody knows for sure.


  • #8
    RooksPawn
    Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭RooksPawn


    spidersweb wrote: »
    It has indeed been postponed and will take place next year, also in August. However, who knows what tomorrow brings. Will the Irish ch still go ahead in August this year is now the next question. We will find out in due course. Things are very bad now in Spain and Italy but will that last?

    The FIDE announcement doesn't specify a month in 2021 for the Olympiad.
    As the World Cup is scheduled for August (though that could change), the Olympiad could be before that. Both the present and subsequent World Championship cycles are impacted because of the difficulty of holding some of the qualifying events.

    FIDE are hardly going to make any decisions for a few months but it would probably make sense for ICU to plan the 2021 Irish for August rather than July.


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