Sunday, March 15, 2020

Community Chess Club Schedule & COVID-19 Coronavirus

Coronavirus Response & Updates 
Stay Home.  Stop the Spread.  Save Lives.
Monday March 23, 2020
Here are some links that may be of interest:  
 WHO launches global megatrial of the four most promising coronavirus treatments

Sunday March 22, 2020
If you are able to do so, please consider reaching out to one or more members of the club that you think might possibly need assistance.  This may be as simple as dropping off some groceries or picking up a prescription.  It may just be to have a conversation, a chat via Skype or email correspondence as most of us are somewhat confined to our homes right now.  This can do a lot to relieve stress and anxiety.  If you need help, please reach out by phone or email.  Do this by contacting any one of our club members and you can likely get the contact information for the person you are trying to reach.

Keep busy with some Online Chess:

Community Resources:


Helpful Mental Health Links:

Mental Health Info from the CDC

Saturday March 21, 2020
TJ Weaver put together a great set of his annotated games to enjoy especially now, during this time when we can't have our club meetings. Click here to view his blog.
Later, these games will be added to our club's game database.

 Monday March 16, 2020
Important! Precautionary Tournament cancellations & Postponements

The following Rochester New York area chess tournaments have been CANCELLED:
42nd Marchand Open
Rochester Chess Center Monday Night Winter and Spring leagues
North Street Geneva tournament for scholastic players

The following Rochester New York area chess tournaments have been CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE:
Rochester Chess Center Saturday tournaments (Youth & Open)
Community Chess Club of Rochester Wednesday Night tournaments

The following tournament has been postponed until summer:
15th Annual Woman's History Month Invitational

At this time, the Wayne Elementary tournament is still on for April 18th

This is a prophylactic action. There has been no indication of anyone affiliated with the club who has been infected with or exposed to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Cancellations and postponements have been made out of an abundance of caution, and given the close conditions under which we play chess. Please be patient as the Chess Center and Community Chess Club staff work to see what will be done as we move forward.

Online/Phone chess lessons may become available.  To reschedule your chess lesson or to inquire about online/phone lessons, please contact the Chess Center or your chess instructor directly.

We are working on a way for members of our chess community to have a way to reach out for help from other members of the chess community.  Assistance could be picking up groceries, prescriptions or dropping off books, etc.  There are a lot of "helpers" out there and there will be people in need.

Community Resources: 
United Way
Monroe County
City of Rochester


Sunday March 15, 2020
The health and well-being of our members is of the utmost importance to us. Regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus, as part of our operations, CCCR is reviewing our schedule so that the organization will execute measures in accordance with the situation as it changes. Cancellations will be posted here.  Over the next couple days, we will decide whether or not there will be a club meeting on March 18th.

Right now, we are continuously monitoring the Monroe County Health Department, NYS Department of Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites to ensure we have the latest information.

While we remain open for chess, we are providing members with hand sanitizer that we recommend using before and after coming into contact with others.  We also plan to spray sets with disinfectant and wipe down chess clocks.

We are encouraging all players to practice proper hygiene techniques recommended by the CDC, such as the frequent washing of hands, not touching their face, and respiratory etiquette when coughing or sneezing.

Players and visitors who feel under the weather should not attend the chess club meetings.
Keeping our members informed is a necessity. If the COVID-19 situation changes, please refer to this section of the page for updates related to our chess club's operations. We will post all necessary information.

As the COVID-19 situations changes daily, if we find it necessary to suspend chess play on March 18, 2020, we will send out an email newsletter to our registered members and post the cancellation here on this blog.  Regardless of whether the chess club meets or not, each player should use his/her own discretion to attend.  Though we normally average about 20 players/night with a few parents and visitors, we will not allow more than 49 people in the building at any time.


From the USCF: 
Practical Guidance for Running Events
 Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak
For events in areas that have received no federal, state, or city level announcements (or any related entity), you can still hold your event. However, here are a few tips:
1. If you have fewer players but your event is still going to run, spread your players out over the entire playing hall. There is little reason to bunch everyone up if you have less-than-expected turnout. If possible, you could spread players across multiple rooms of your event.
2. Soap and water is better for combating diseases than hand sanitizer. So, if there is a hand sanitizer shortage in the area, make sure your site has adequate soap and water supplies. If you can get hand sanitizer for your event, do so. You can also encourage others to bring their own if they have any.
3. If possible, have players provide their own sets. While this is less ideal for many reasons, it would cut down on the number of people who touch the same chess set. You can also require all people to clean their chess sets in between uses.
The same is true for chess clocks – they should be wiped down in between uses.
For both clocks and chess sets, wet wipes / sanitizing wipes are easiest to use. We recommend providing them at your event for people to use.
4. Have people provide their own pens and pencils for notation. The less people pick up a used pen that is left on the floor, or table, or anywhere, the better.
5. If you make any announcements about this sort of thing, title it “Common Sense Procedures” so people understand you’re just trying to educate them and not scare them.
6. Discourage shaking hands before, during (draw offers), or after the game.
7. Do all pairings, wall charts, results pages online. Hanging up paper copies encourages people to bunch together. If you still must make physical postings, spread them out as much as possible or have multiple copies in different locations.
8. Use common sense approaches to solve problems.
Links: 
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