As Chairman of Atticus CC I have to inform club-members that, owing to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Atticus CC has reluctantly decided to withdraw from all chess competitions immediately until further notice. We have notified the MCA to this effect.
As many of you will be aware the Warrington League - in which many MCA members play - formally suspended all its competitions on Saturday (until April 18th). Various leagues around the country have done the same thing and many chess tournaments have been cancelled.
Our decision has been shaped by a number of considerations that have grown more urgent in recent days: chess is an activity which places people together in close proximity, often in less-than-hygienic environments, with enhanced risk of cross-infection. Many players in our club are in the 'at-risk' age-profile. We have to put the health and safety of players before everything else.
We understand that there are different views on these matters in the chess community. However we believe we are acting with the interests of that community very much at heart.
John Redmond (Chairman, Atticus CC)