Insight into the Meaning of LIFE
Have we become the Brave New World?
While the Historians will hotly debate for decades to come the political origins and disasterous socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 global-lockdown, today it is overwhelmingly clear that the vast majority of humanity want the lockdown to end and for the world to become – if not normal – then certainly more open. Regardless of the risk.
The chess world is also opening up and is gaining momentum every day. As I write these words, the Croatian National Championship is taking place under completely normal conditions. No social distancing; no masks. No fear.
Of course, each country has been affected by the virus in its own way, and coming out of the lockdown will vary from country to country, depending on government health policy.
The German Bundesliga is seriously considering holding a giant OTB event to provide a dignified end to its interrupted season. A final decision will be taken on the 12th of July, but insiders tell me that barring an unforseen catastrophe, it is a go!
Norway – one of the countries least hit by the virus – has already organized at least one OTB (over the board) tournament; Biel (Switzerland) announced this week that they will go ahead with their traditional OTB event between July 18 and 29.
In all, some two dozen countries have already scheduled a return to over the board play this summer! This is great news for chess lovers…
A Parody of what Online Chess has become
Has the pandemic been a positive opportunity for popularizing the game of chess thru the ONLINE medium? This, I think, will also be something that will be debated in coming months as chess players return to OTB touraments. Not everyone is convinced by what has occurred these past few months that the interests of chess have been served.
There has been much criticism directed on the FIDE leadership, who have been accused of exploiting the pandemic to try to increase its profile in the media with a number of dubious media stunts, one which saw the Candidates Tournament having to be desperately called off at the half-way point.
Then there is FIDE’s ‘all in‘ push into the world of online chess, trying to piggy-back on the existing online chess platforms (Chess24, Chess.com and LiChess) organizing the ‘Checkmate Coronavirus’ festival and using a not very subtle racially tinged publicity campaign to promote it. (All this in the midst of world wide protests supporting ‘Black Lives Matter’)
Read Why was FIDE’s Checkmate Coronavirus publicity campaign so WHITE?
And as the chess world opens up and OTB tournaments become the norm once more, we will all be curious to see how the ONLINE chess world has grown and profitted from the coronavirus.
Especially, what is real, what is illusion? What is going to last beyond the pandemic and what is going to evaporate? So far the big chess platforms have not divulged any real numbers (do they ever?) about how many new members they have gained.
What was ‘Socially Adequate’ in the 1950’s?
They don’t make socially adequate people anymore…
How Times Have Changed!
Lest we forget…
”Australia’s history of racism towards Aboriginals is absolutely disgusting. Until the mid-60s, indigenous Australians came under the Flora And Fauna Act, which classified them as animals, not human beings. This also meant that killing an indigenous Australian meant you weren’t killing a human being, but an animal.” LINK
Did you Know?
Curiosities
THE RED ELVIES
&
ELENA SHEMANKOVA
The Red Elvises are a Russian-American band that performs rock & roll, surf, rockabilly, reggae, lounge and traditional Russian styles of music.
They were founded in California in the mid-1990s and are based in Santa Monica. The band would be nothing special, though, if it were not for the hot Elena Shemankova (wow, what a name!).
To be continued!
